“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (NIV)
Grief is, without a doubt, the most painful emotion we go through in life. It’s also the most helpful emotion. How is grief helpful to you?
Grief is God’s tool for you to get through the transitions of life. If you don’t grieve your losses, you get stuck. Many people are still stuck at age 14 or 28 or 45, because they didn’t grieve a major loss in their life, and they got stuck there. Not going through the grieving process leaves us with all kinds of anxieties and fears and low self-esteem.
Jesus never did anything wrong or unhealthy—and yet Jesus grieved. The Bible says he was a man acquainted with sorrows. The Bible says that, when his friend Lazarus died, Jesus grieved. He even wept!
Sadness is not weakness. In fact, the stronger you are, the more confident you are and the less afraid you are to show your emotions.
There are two unhealthy reactions to loss: One is repression, and the other is suppression. Repression is when you unconsciously try to block painful thoughts from your mind. Suppression is when you do it consciously. You intentionally say, “I’m not going to think about that hurt. I’m not going to think about that pain. I’m going to put my head down and move forward.”
To not grieve losses is a mistake. Why? Because grief is God’s gift to get us through the changes in life.
If you don’t let your grief out in healthy ways, then you’re going to act it out in unhealthy ways.
When you swallow your grief, your body rejects it. Doctors have said that a lot of illnesses that people have come from unresolved grief, regrets, and resentment. A lot of the pain in our backs or our aching necks is there because we hold emotions inside of us that God never intended for us to keep bottled up. He wants you to let them out through your grief.
Life’s losses are unavoidable, but grief is a choice. You have to choose to grieve. You have to embrace it so that you can move forward with hope.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Talk It Over
Why do you think there is often a stigma around expressing grief and sadness, as if it is a sign of weakness?
How have you seen bottled-up grief cause physical pain in you or someone else?
Do you know someone who is grieving right now? In what ways can you best support them?
This devotional © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
If you don’t let your grief out in healthy ways, then you’re going to act it out in unhealthy ways. Learn more about why you need to choose to grieve when you experience a loss in today’s #DailyHope devotional.
Rick Warren Bio
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book The Purpose Driven Church was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created The PEACE Plan to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at PastorRick.com.
Tags
How to Get Through What You’re Going Through – 2023, Grief, Healing Choices, Anxiety, Emotions, Hurt, Change, Pain, Matthew 5
Broadcast Series: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through – 2023
Sermon Series: How to Get Through What You’re Going Through
Sermon: 025003_Getting Through Life’s Losses
