Don’t avoid the pain; the only way to get over the pain is through it—not under, above or around it. Some grief never leaves us completely. It’s a forever-hole in our hearts—such as the suicide of a loved one or the death of a child or partner. We simply learn to live with it. And yet other types of grief, when processed, are finished at some point in time. We may be changed by them (in ways of which we’re aware and many of which we’re not), but we really are done grieving.
Five strategies for processing your grief may include:
1. Finding favorite Scripture passages and keeping them close.
2. Praying.
3. Forgiving.
4. Finding a support group, life coach or spiritual director.
5. Creating new dreams when it’s time.
Pay attention and grieve with intention—the intention of healing and moving on. You do have a choice.
In the end, however, grief won’t have the last word. That same God who walks with us day by day through the grief also holds out to us the promise of new life. Hold on to that hope and keep walking toward the Light, which is the Christ.
This message was adapted from the “Faces of Grief” resource written by Sonia Solomonson and is available from the Women of the ELCA website.
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