Coping With Grief

Many bereaved ones have found that talking can be a helpful release. Notice, for example, the words of the Bible character Job, who suffered the loss of all ten of his children and endured other tragedies. He said:  "My soul certainly  feels a loathing toward  my life. I will give vent to my concern about myself. I will speak in the bitterness of my soul!" (Job 1:2, 18, 19; 10:1) Notice that Job needed  to "give vent" to his concerns. How would he do so?  "I will speak," he explained.

Paulo, who lost his mother, says:  "One of the things that has helped me is talk about my mother." So talking about your feelings to a trusted friend can bring a measure of relief.  (Proverbs 17:17) After losing her mother, Yvonne asked her Christian brothers to visit her more often.  "Talking helped to ease the pain," she recalls. You too may find that putting your feelings into words and sharing them with a sympathetic listener will make it easier to deal with them. 

Writing can also be a helpful release. Some who find it difficult  to talk about their feelings may find it easier to express themselves in writing. Following  the death of Saul and Jonathan, the faithful man David wrote a deeply mournful song  in which he poured out his sorrow.  This emotional dirge eventually became part of the Bible book of Second Samuel. -2 Samuel 1:17-27. 

Crying may also serve as an emotional release.  "For everything there is an appointed time, even  . . ."a time to weep," says the Bible.  (Ecclesiastes  3:1, 4)  to be sure, the death of someone we love is "a time to weep." Tears of grief are nothing to be embarrassed about.  The Bible contains many examples of faithful men and women who openly expressed their grief by weeping.  (Genesis 23:2; 2 Samuel 1:11, 12) Jesus Christ  "gave way to tears " when he neared the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus, who had recently dies. -John 11:33, 35. 

Working through grief takes patience, for you may feel that you  on an emotional roller coaster. Remember that you do not have to be ashamed of your tears. Many faithful individuals have found that shedding tears of grief is a normal and necessary part of the healing process. 

Next time: Draw Close to God

From the Watchtower magazine, 2008