Stay in God's Grip!
  • Home
  • Todd's Blog
  • Remember Me When
  • Contact

 While in God's Grip!

Our Lenten Journey... When we grieve

3/28/2017

 
Picture

His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way?  While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"  He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept.  I thought, 'Who knows?  The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.'  But now that he is dead, why should I fast?  Can I bring him back again?  I will go to him, but he will not return to me."  Then David comforted his wife... ~ 2 Samuel 12: 21-24
There really is no book, outline, or correct way to grieve.  Years ago while I was completing my fellowship at M D Anderson Cancer Center, my supervisor talked to me about the grief I was experiencing.  

My stepmother had died the previous year from leukemia following a somewhat brief illness.  Although I knew that I was grieving her loss, I couldn't understand some of the things that I was feeling and how I was reacting to some things going on in my life.

He shared with me that "I can direct you to a ton of self-help books, including books on grief, the steps of grief, and how to recognize grief, but I can't necessarily tell you HOW you must grieve, and how to get through this."

To this day, I really don't know what answer I was hoping to receive.  There is simply no correct way to grieve.

It wasn't until a year later that I realized as another anniversary passed without her presence in my life that I suddenly realized that she was never coming back.  After another year of wanting to pick up the phone and call her to tell her something my children had done, or to ask her thoughts on something, while even the home that my parents resided had been sold, I had to accept this reality and somehow "let it go" as some friends had advised.

I couldn't.  It was at that point I realized that for some things in our lives, grieving is a life-long process.  It's not that I don't manage her memory better, and instead of getting depressed at the the thought of her passing, I instead focus on the person and how thankful that I am to have had her in my life.

So often our grief over the loss of something creates our own "valley of the shadow of death," that we find it hard to move through it.  David after loosing a child, tries to return to a "normal" life, while taking time to be present for his wife.  The loss shared by these two, would be a reminder to each of us that when we have suffered loss, the need for one another must be realized.

We all grieve and we are reminded to turn that which we mourn into a type of dance.  While there isn't always a clear place and time to point to when this happens, we can always invite God to help us.

Hoping that each of us may learn to dance while we mourn our losses.

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, while we all have experienced loss of some kind in our life, may You be present to help us turn our mourning into a dance that brings healing.  Amen.


Comments are closed.

    Author

    Rev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." (Chalice Press, August 2021) and is a former hospice chaplain.

    He holds a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and currently is serving Webster Presbyterian Church, Webster, Texas as their Interim Senior Minister.

    Archives

    May 2025
    September 2024
    February 2024
    May 2023
    February 2023
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • Todd's Blog
  • Remember Me When
  • Contact