Expressing Grief

Steve Arterburn

Grief is the process that helps you release your pain and losses to God.  In your grief,  you come to terms with your past and you find freedom to live in the reality of the present.  You’ll find hope for the future.  So if you harden your heart and refuse to grieve you’re likely to get stuck both emotionally and spiritually.  

The prophet Jeremiah shared his grief and tears with God.  Jeremiah lived with God’s people and pleaded with them to return to God.  But his pleas fell on deaf ears.  His heart was broken. So in his grief, the prophet penned the words of Lamentations.  When you read this book of the Bible, you’ll find that Jeremiah didn’t mince his words or hide his pain. He weeps openly and fully, releasing his emotions to God.  It’s a great example for us when we grieve our own losses.  

Lamentations doesn’t provide pat answers for the suffering you’ll experience.  If you’ll read it, you’ll discover that it’s all right to be real’to be angry, to be disappointed with life ‘ to be concerned about what tomorrow holds for you. God accepted Jeremiah being angry, tired, and discouraged, and he will accept you as well.  Just as God honored the tears of Jeremiah, he’ll honor yours if you share your pain and sorrow with him.  It’s likely to be the first step to bring healing for the present and hope for the future.