In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, God's word says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
We can experience grief over many things: broken relationships, missed opportunities, health issues, and the loss of a loved one (to name a few). At eleven years old, I lost my mother to suicide. In my late teens, I lost a friend to suicide. Months later, another friend attempted to take her own life; fortunately she survived. About five years ago, my sister-in-law, who was suffering from constant choking (an ALS complication), opted for MAID (medical assistance in dying). Four months later, my step-mother died in hospital; she had purposely stopped eating.
How do we process difficult losses? It has been said that the only way through grief, is through grief. The various stages of grief have to be felt, experienced, acknowledged, and processed, in order for healing to start to take place. There is no specific timeline, or way to grieve, as we are all different.
When we lose someone to death, initially there are people around to share the grief, to say a kind word, offer a hug or condolences. After this initial period, we are often left on our own, but the grief continues.
If you have recently lost a loved one, Stephen Ministry has a limited supply of a set of four books called, Journeying Through Grief. These books, written by the founder of Stephen Ministry, Rev. Kenneth C. Haugk, Ph.D., are given out one by one, over a period of 11 months, and have helped many people by offering some comfort and understanding of what we feel when we are grieving. If you are interested in receiving these books, please email Stephen Ministry.
Stephen Ministry has been serving SDBC since 2008. The service we offer is 100% confidential and there is no charge. You have access to a Godly community of trained, caring, loving, committed, Christ-following believers, that make up Stephen Ministry. We meet with adults going through difficult times. Grief is just one reason to reach out to us. We are skilled listeners, who like to pray and care for people in a confidential and non-judgemental way.
We can all benefit by having someone to share the process of meeting life's challenges. As Stephen Ministers, we know this first hand, because like you, we experience challenges too.
Galatians 6:2: Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
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