HELP FOR THE FAMILY/YOUNG PEOPLE

Continue with;  When a Courtship Ends

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Acknowledge the pain.  "I lost more than just a good friend;  I lost my best friend," confides Elaine, quoted at the outset. When you break up with someone who was that close, a period of grieving is normal.  "A relationship has ended," says a young man named Adam, "and there's always some pain involved in that, even if you know it's for the best." You might feel similar to King David of the Bible.  "All night long I soak my bed with tears," he wrote during a period of anguish.  (Psalm 6:6)  Sometimes the best way out of pain is through it, not around it. Acknowledging the reality of your own feelings can be the first step in healing. -Bible principle: Psalm 4:4. 

Associate with people who care about you. Admittedly, that may not be easy.  "At first, I didn't even want to see people," admits Anna, quoted earlier.  "I needed time to recover, to go over everything in my head and make sense o it all."  In time, though, Anna saw the wisdom of spending time with close friends  who could build her up.  "I have a better frame of mind now," she says,  'and the breakup isn't as devastating to me as it was before." -Bible principle: Proverbs 17:17. 

Learn from what happened. Ask yourself:  'Has this experience revealed an areas in which I need to grow?  What, if anything, would I do differently in my next relationship?" says a young woman named Marcia. However, I had to to wait until  I could look at things rationally rather than emotionally." Adam mentioned earlier, feels similarly.  He says:  "It took a year for me to get over the breakup.  It took even longer for me turn the experience into something constructive. What I went through taught me a lot about myself, the opposite sex, and relationships. I feel much less pain now about the breakup."

Pray about your anxiety.  The Bible says that God "heals the brokenhearted; he binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3)  While he is not a celestial matchmaker-nor can he be blamed when a courtship ends-God has an interest in your well-being. Pour out your feelings to him in prayer. -Bible principle:  1 Peter 5:7.

Next time: THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT/WORK -What is the proper view of work?

From the AWAKE! magazine, 2015