Good Grief? How does that work?
Something God is teaching me about right now is Grief. My first response to the word Grief had been "No thanks", however I have now been facing the question "Can grief be a good thing?".
Why am I exploring grief? because I am in the middle of the grieving process. After living in Australia for 2 years, committed full on to a ministry, building relationships with those who have seen me at my best and. . . . not best :). Even though I faced many challenges, I loved what I was apart of. I was reminded often of my purpose, identity, and what God was doing.
And then I left.
Now don't misunderstand me, I knew it was time to leave, God showed me that. Also, seeing friends, family and my home church was such a wonderful thing. But to say my transition has been an emotional breeze would be a complete lie. I am Grieving.
It is as if I had a friend, so close to me who died and then I moved to a new place. I have memories with them, amazing and challenging, but now we are not together anymore. Not only that, I am in a different place where no one knew my friend. Some of them can empathized because maybe they have experienced the same kind of loss, however, they didn't know my friend. I could tell them stories of our times and all the things I loved about them, but they can't relate in the way I would hope. So things move forward, and I find that it hurts more then expected.
So how can I grieve in a "healthy" way. Ideally it would be with friends and family who are also grieving the same loss. Except for me, those people are scattered across the globe, not physically next to me. So now what?
Well here is what I am learning throughout this process. . . .
1. Let it push you twards God, not away from Him.
Spending time with God is the best thing for you. He was there with me in Brisbane, He is with me now. He sees my heart and He is my comfort and strength.
2. Do Not Ignore It!!!!
If you think shelving your grief and emotions will make them disappear, you are confused. As hard and even embarrassing as it can be, you need to let yourself go through the process. Now you can sit in grief for years, but you need a season for grieving.
3. Don't feed grief
What I mean by this is don't allow grief to take over and loose control of what you are taking in. If I am sad and decide to watch a sad movie, you will probably feel a bit weighed down. Go through the grief process, but do yourself a favor and stay hopeful and seek healing.
4. Know you Do Not have to have it all figured out.
Give yourself time, keep growing, trust God and know He has a greater plan even if you cannot see it yet. Grace is important for you to have for yourself, and for those around you.
So I am working through seeing Grief as a good thing. It would actually be crazy if I returned after 2 years and didn't feel anything for leaving behind that part of my life. I am trying to remember all the amazing things God did and look forward to what is next. God is good, ALL the time.
Why am I exploring grief? because I am in the middle of the grieving process. After living in Australia for 2 years, committed full on to a ministry, building relationships with those who have seen me at my best and. . . . not best :). Even though I faced many challenges, I loved what I was apart of. I was reminded often of my purpose, identity, and what God was doing.
And then I left.
Now don't misunderstand me, I knew it was time to leave, God showed me that. Also, seeing friends, family and my home church was such a wonderful thing. But to say my transition has been an emotional breeze would be a complete lie. I am Grieving.
It is as if I had a friend, so close to me who died and then I moved to a new place. I have memories with them, amazing and challenging, but now we are not together anymore. Not only that, I am in a different place where no one knew my friend. Some of them can empathized because maybe they have experienced the same kind of loss, however, they didn't know my friend. I could tell them stories of our times and all the things I loved about them, but they can't relate in the way I would hope. So things move forward, and I find that it hurts more then expected.
So how can I grieve in a "healthy" way. Ideally it would be with friends and family who are also grieving the same loss. Except for me, those people are scattered across the globe, not physically next to me. So now what?
Well here is what I am learning throughout this process. . . .
1. Let it push you twards God, not away from Him.
Spending time with God is the best thing for you. He was there with me in Brisbane, He is with me now. He sees my heart and He is my comfort and strength.
2. Do Not Ignore It!!!!
If you think shelving your grief and emotions will make them disappear, you are confused. As hard and even embarrassing as it can be, you need to let yourself go through the process. Now you can sit in grief for years, but you need a season for grieving.
3. Don't feed grief
What I mean by this is don't allow grief to take over and loose control of what you are taking in. If I am sad and decide to watch a sad movie, you will probably feel a bit weighed down. Go through the grief process, but do yourself a favor and stay hopeful and seek healing.
4. Know you Do Not have to have it all figured out.
Give yourself time, keep growing, trust God and know He has a greater plan even if you cannot see it yet. Grace is important for you to have for yourself, and for those around you.
So I am working through seeing Grief as a good thing. It would actually be crazy if I returned after 2 years and didn't feel anything for leaving behind that part of my life. I am trying to remember all the amazing things God did and look forward to what is next. God is good, ALL the time.
Comments
Post a Comment