Dealing with grief is always tough. But unfortunately, the holidays can act as a magnifying glass in relation to our grief over lost loved ones.
This is because of how closely tied our memories are to these special times of the year. And even if we did not realize it before, these times are defined by the loved ones we get to spend time with.
So when they are no longer present, the presents and glitter of it all seem to become tarnished and dull.
While also becoming a stark reminder of what once was. So how can we turn these holidays that hurt into holidays that heal?
First replace the voice of grief with the voice of god
- grief tells us the lie that our tears do not matter and no one cares.
- Grief tells us the lie that no one can empathize with our pain
- In this verse God tells us that He takes our pain serious. God doesn't ignore our tears. While we also must remember God experienced grief when He allowed His son to die for the sins of the world. So He can relate to your sorrow.
- grief says that this is the end
- grief says that it is hopeless
- God says that we are in a waiting room of hope instead of a morgue of mourning all because of Jesus.
- One day God will dry every tear from your eyes.
- This is because God will have fixed the why behind your weeping
When you are dealing with grief, tears are inevitable. But the good news is that one day God will wipe away every tear that falls from our faces.
This is not talking about the physical process of making tears. Because if God dealt with just the tears instead of the tragedy behind the tears, then that would be no solution.
So when we are dealing with grief, we have to remember that a day is coming in which we will see our loved ones restored.
And we will see an end to death, sorrow, and sickness. When we go to Him forevermore, all of these things will be no more. So let us find hope.
This hope often seems to flee us when we are dealing with grief. But if we remember the reason for the Christmas season. The offer of redemption and heaven.
We can dry our tears with the hope of a heavenly home. We can know that this is just temporary. And that a glorious morning is coming.
dealing with grief on this side of Heaven
If we had to wait until heaven to start dealing with grief, then we would be in a hopeless situation. Though the tears may still come, here are some practical ideas below on dealing with grief during the holidays and beyond.
- Realize it is ok to cry even Jesus wept when He lost his friend.
- You can light a candle in their honor.
- Have your family tell an uplifting story about their life over a holiday meal.
- Do an activity that they enjoyed that reminds you of the good times you had with them.
- Continue their legacy by serving others as they served you during their lifetime.
- Pray to the God of comfort to comfort you.
- Keep the above verses at the front of your mind to help you remember the hope that is in Christ.