Resources for Grief

We hope that these resources and coping mechanisms are able to provide some help and comfort as you grieve.

Grief, often depicted as a linear progression through stages (Denial, Anger, Depression, Bargaining, and Acceptance), is really more like a tangled ball of emotions. It's not a journey from one stage to the next but a mix of shock, anger, denial, and other emotions that can surface unpredictably and out of order. You may experience all of them or only a few. This non-linear nature of grief is a necessary part of the healing process.

Grief is about loss, not just death. We can grieve relationships, experiences, and people. It often changes us and prevents us from being who we were before our grief. Who we become in our grief is just as important as who we were beforehand. None of the emotions we feel are wrong. Anger, confusion, sadness, etc., are all expected and okay. Suppressing any emotions you experience is considered an unhealthy way to handle grief.

“Ignoring our emotions is turning our back on reality; listening to our emotions ushers us into reality. And reality is where we meet God. Emotions are the language of the soul. In neglecting our intense emotions, we are false to ourselves and lose a wonderful opportunity to know God.”
- Dan Allender/Tremper Longman III

Our team has put together a list of coping mechanisms and resources which have either helped us personally navigate grief, or have helped those around us. We’d like to share them with you.

• Pray
• Breathe
• Cry
• Talk about it with a trusted source
• Request Counseling at Bethlehem Church
  • The Abundant Life Institute
  • The Ministry Village
  • Comprehensive Counseling Services
• Find community support
• Join a Grief Share Group
• Surviving the Holidays - A Grief Share Event for Adults, Students, and Children
• Stay in routine
• Exercise
• Meditate on Scripture
• Journal
• Find ways to honor what or who you’re grieving

If you would like to dive a little deeper into ways of coping with grief, here are some books that we recommend:

• If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, by Randy Alcorn
• Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain, by Davey Blackburn
• Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love, by Katherine and Jay Wolf
• It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered, by Lysa TerKeurst
• Daily Prayers for Grieving Hearts Devotional
• Why? Trusting God When You Don’t Understand, by Anne Graham Lotz
• A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss, by Jerry Sittser
• When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God and Joy, by John Piper
• Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, by Paul David Tripp
• You're Going to Make It: 50 Morning and Evening Devotions to Unrush Your Mind, Uncomplicate Your Heart, and Experience Healing, by Lysa TerKeurst

We hope that these resources and coping mechanisms are able to provide some help and comfort as you grieve. Above all, remember that you are never alone. You have a God who walks beside you, and Bethlehem Church is here to help in whatever way we can.