“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

psalm 34:18

Life is not always sunshine and roses. There will be days when you won’t feel like yourself. There will be weeks where you will deal with a struggle. There will be months where you will find yourself grieving a loss.

With the introduction of sin into the world, we were also made accessible to the immense pain and challenge of grief and suffering. Those things were never a part of God’s original plan for His children, but ultimately they became a part of our lives. You’ve heard the Benjamin Franklin quote, “Nothing is certain except for death and taxes.” While it is thrown around casually, it is also a stark reminder that we are unable to avoid the finality of death, which means we are unable to avoid the sting of grief.

If you are going through a grieving period or suffering through a tough chapter in your life, where do you even begin to cope? How do find your way back to the light of your life prior to your current situation? As a Christian, you have likely heard the verse at the beginning of the blog a million times before, but does it hold any clout for you when you are one of the “brokenhearted?”

Maybe you have someone in your life who is engulfed in grief or suffering and you want desperately to be there for them. Do you know what to say? Do you know what to do? Is there a “right” and “wrong” way to go about being a comfort? Grief is a confusing time and not just for those experiencing it. There’s a delicate and unique balance that must be found to help support someone grieving or struggling. It will require patience, a strong heart, and an even stronger hope in God and His will.

This month, we want to discuss grief and suffering from the lens of those experiencing it and those supporting others through it. As we mentioned earlier, grief will affect every one of us at some point in our lives. Let’s take the time to not only prepare ourselves to cope with it, but also to emerge on the other side of it as a positive example of God’s love and strength.