My grandfather, Harold Longenecker, who is one of my favorite people of all time, spent some time with us as a family today talking about how to deal with grief. He said that it comes from the things he has learned over his many, many years of pastoral ministry. I thought it was worth sharing…
1. Accept the fact that life has forever changed.
2. God is our spiritual resource even when He seems absent, silent, or far away.
3. Don’t rush the recovery process. Closure will come slowly.
4. Your current network of friends is your life-line into the future. Keep the network in good repair.
5. Your future will be different in ways that are as yet invisible and undetermined, but let that future unfold under God’s direction. Don’t rush it.
6. Face the issue of forgiveness (Psalm 130).