Coming to Terms With Death

Help for Those Who Grieve 

"Jehovah is near to those that are broken at heart." -Psalm 34:18.

AFTER the death of a loved one, you might be confronted with a number of overwhelming emotions, including shock, numbness, sadness, and perhaps even guilt or anger. As mentioned in the preceding article, not everyone grieves in the same way. Therefore, you may not experience all of those feelings, and may not display your sorrow in the same way that others do. However, when you need to express your sadness, it is not wrong for you to do so. 

"Let Yourself Grieve!"

Heloisa, the medical doctor quoted earlier, tried to hold in her feelings after her mother's death.  "I did cry at first," she says, "but soon I was suppressing  my feelings-just as I would when I lost a patient. My health has suffered considerably, perhaps as  result. My advice to those who have lost a loved one is this:  Let yourself grieve! Get it out of your system. It will relieve you."

However, as the days and weeks elapse,m you might feel as Cecilia, who lost her husband to cancer.  "At times, " she says, "I'm disappointed in myself because it seems that I haven't  met the expectations of some who think I should be over it by now. 

If you have had such thoughts, try to remember that there is no "correct" way to grieve. Some are able to move on with relative ease. Others cannot.  In such cases, the process cannot be rushed, so do not feel compelled to meet some "deadline" at which point you think you should feel better. 

But what if your grief is like a bottomless put and you are becoming worn out by your despair? Perhaps your experience is similar to that of Jacob, a righteous man who, when told that his Joseph had died, "kept refusing to take comfort." (Genesis 37:35)  If that is how you have responded, what practical steps can you take so that you are not overwhelmed b y sorrow?

 Next time: Help for Those Who Grieve-Take Care of Yourself

 From the AWAKE! magazine, 2011