Grief

“Grief comes easily to me. The furnace of my many afflictions—stoked by painful bone disease, stage 4 cancer, advancing arthritis, perpetual 35-year-long head pain…. When you grieve as much as I have, you sometimes wonder what the Lord thinks of it. Is my grief permissible, or have I fallen into grieving doubt and self-pitying discontent?” - TGC

“People I knew and loved walked in the other direction. A friend finally dared to approach me with a hug and talk with me. Once the ice was broken, a few others joined. But until that moment, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. They just didn’t know what to say.” - Randy Alcorn

“You listen far more than say anything… Being present is the key ministry gift we give to those we minister.” - The Baptist Paper

“Before you start complaining, be sure you’ve checked arrogance at the door. Come with your pain, not your pride.” - Ref21

“Grief is lonely when you are the only one grieving and lonely when you are grieving with others…. ‘The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy’ (Proverbs 14:10).” - Challies

“As one who greatly benefited from those in this role following the untimely death of my wife of 50 years in December 2021, here are a few suggestions based on what was most helpful to me.” - Lifeway

“…working as an interfaith chaplain at a Level 1 trauma center in Tampa, Florida, has taught him that grief is less about letting go and moving on, and more about letting in and moving with.” - RNS

“I learned how to mourn when my mom lost her mind, and then her life, to dementia.” - CToday

“intellectual solutions weren’t what Lewis needed in those moments. His arguments hadn’t lost their rationality; they’d lost their emotional weight. In the face of his wife’s death, they now felt hollow.” - TGC

“Presbyterians expect less fight and more fatigue as they gather following the Covenant shooting and the deaths of Harry Reeder and Tim Keller.” - CToday