Practical Tips for Handling Grief

 

Excerpts from Pathway to Victory Radio Broadcast

June 2022

Pastor Robert Jeffress

 

 

Grief can sometimes feel overwhelming.  The following tips are meant to help in times of stress and if you are feeling powerless to move forward with the grief process.  These suggestions are meant to assist in both the grieving and healing processes.

 

 

Give voice to your emotions

 

Try not to hold it in or be stoic.  Indifference can lead to despair and feelings of wanting to end it all.  Try seeking God through prayer—let him know you are sad and need His help.  Lay it all out for Him.

 

Psalm 120:1 says to “cry out to the Lord.”  He will mend your broken heart.  Do this through developing a prayer life for now and the future.

 

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.  Don’t go there.  You will eventually find peace but you must allow yourself to grieve in healthy ways.

 

Seek out friends, relatives, and your church family.  These folks can help support you and talk to you about any concerns you have or any changes you are thinking of making.

 

 

Search for peace amid the stress

 

Remember simple truths and practices, like getting back to your regular schedule.  Do the practical things like getting out of bed and your pajamas each day, going to appointments, seeing people, paying bills, etc.

 

Claim the promises of God.  John 11:25 tells us that God is always with us.  Talk to Him.

 

2 Corinthians 5:8 says we are always at home with the Lord.  Psalm 13:1 and Psalm 13:6 instruct us to praise Him and pray to Him.  Read the Psalms as a form of prayer.  They are beautiful and comforting.

 

 

Involve others in your grief

 

Isolation keeps you from experiencing the care and concern of friends.   Don’t grieve alone.  If there is ever a time to tap into your support network, it is now.  You will be encouraged. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says 2 are better than 1; if 1 falls, the other is there to pick them up.

 

Make the choice to be with people.  Satan loves to swoop in and talk grieving and depressed people back down into depression.  He wants you to isolate yourself from the caring concerns of others.  Remember, he wants to attack and destroy you.

 

Grieve, and do it for an appropriate amount of time.  Seek out friends and family during the grieving process.  Find a support group for death and other life problems you would like to learn to manage.

 

 

Pay attention to your own well-being

 

Be sure to eat regular meals, get dressed every day, and get a good night’s sleep.

 

In Acts 27:33, when the Apostle Paul was imprisoned and in a shipwreck on the way to a different prison in Rome, it was a scary time and regular meals were forgotten.  He encouraged the other prisoners to eat.  Once they ate, they were more able to function physically.  God created us as physical beings with needs, so take care of yourself.

 

 

Forgive Others

 

Our natural response to grief is anger or casting blame on people for whatever happened.  People who are hurting can sometimes hurt others.

 

Placing blame stalls the grieving process and creates bitterness.  Bitterness neutralizes the healing power of God’s grace.

 

Hebrews 12:15 says “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”  God gives you an extra measure of His grace in times of difficulty, so don’t let bitterness set in.  Make the choice to forgive.  In the end, refusal to forgive hurts you more than it does the person who wronged you.

 

Always forgive, even if the other person acted wrongly.  This is God’s expectation.  Remember, He is the King of the Universe and our Creator—which makes us accountable to Him.  One day we will stand before Him and account for the times we ignored His holy word.

 

 

 

In his book “Invincible”, Dr. Robert Jeffress helps us identify and defeat the mountains that threaten to keep us from experiencing a blessed life.  Offering biblical insight and practical tools, Dr. Jeffress shows us how we are invincible with God and how putting our faith in God’s power can enable us to move the mountains in our lives. For more information, visit ptv.org.