Putting the Word on Grief

Some days grief sits with you all day.

You wake up with it.

You carry it through the afternoon.

You wake up in the middle of the night with it.

You think about people you miss.

You think about what used to be.

You think about opportunities that are gone.

You think about family, friendships, and seasons that have changed.

Can I be honest?

Grief was speaking too loud to me when I thought too much:

-About my Mom.

-My Dad sitting in a nursing home.

-Missed opportunities with my brother. (I miss him)

-How Sunday dinners used to fill the house with laughter and conversation.

-Friendships that have faded

-Children, who grew up, and how differently the role of Mom looks in this season.

And if not careful, grief will convince us that this is all there is.

It will tell us to stop hoping.

It will tell us to stop reaching.

It will tell us to stay in yesterday.

But grief is not a destination.

It is something we walk through.

And I learned in this season some times God delivers you from something and other times He delivers you through it. This is where healing takes root.

So when the sadness feels heavy, when the loneliness feels real, and when the future feels uncertain, the only thing left to do is put the Word on it.

Not because the grief instantly disappears.

Not because all the questions are answered.

Not because everything suddenly feels better.

But because God’s Word is stronger than what I feel.

So I open my Bible.

I find what God says about grief.

I find what God says about comfort.

I find what God says about forgiveness.

I find what God says about hope.

I find what God says about restoration.

And I pray it.

I speak it.

I decree it.

I declare it.

I believe it.

I remind my soul of what is true.

I remind my heart that I am not stuck.

I remind myself that God is still moving, even when I cannot see it.

I remind myself that there are seasons in life and that God is present in every one of them.

I remind myself that grief does not get the final word.

God does.

I will not allow grief to be louder than hope.

And to be honest, the above prayer didn't lift my grief.

The grief lifted when I surrendered and let the Holy Spirit take over.

It wasn't my strength that brought freedom. It was His presence.

It took sitting still long enough in my pain to hear His voice above my thoughts.

For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Grief lost.