Help for Those Who Grieve

Accept help from others.  This may particularly important when a spouse has died. Perhaps there are a number of tasks that he or she cared for, and now those tasks are left unattended. For example, if you spouse handled financial matters or domestic chores, you might at first, find it difficult to take care of those matters by yourself. In such a circumstance, the advice of tactful friends  can be of great assistance to you. -Proverbs 25:11.

The Bible describes a true friend as one "born for when there is distress." (Proverbs 17:17) So do not isolate yourself from others, thinking that you will be  a burden to them. On the contrary, association with others can be like a bridge that helps you cross over from grief to acceptance.  After her mother's death, a young woman named Sally found association with others to be greatly uplifting.  "Many of my friends included me in  their social activities," she says.  "That really  helped me to cope with the intense loneliness that I felt. I always appreciated  it when people would ask simple questions, such as, "How are you dealing with your mother's death?' I found that talking about my mom helped me to heal." 

Next time: Help for Those Who Grieve - Allow yourself to remember

From the AWAKE! magazine, 2011