How to Process Grief

On July 27, 1981 at a Sears Department store in Hollywood, Florida a six year old boy named Adam was taken from his Mom and Dad and brutally killed. How does a Mother and Father continue living through such indescribable grief? Adam’s father wrote a book in 1997 titled, “Tears of Rage; From Grieving Father to Crusader for Justice.” You’ve seen him as the host on America’s Most Wanted his name is John Walsh. John fought back by fighting crime in honor of his little boy and as a result has put many criminals behind bars. When tragedy strikes and grief sets in how does a man process the hurt?

Here are a five points to remember:

1. Acknowledge it- don’t stuff the grief or bury it. Recognize that it’s there.

2. Process It- Learn How to Process the Grief- consider reading up on it and learning more about it.

3. Express it- Express your thoughts- Write them out and remember it’s not for others to read, but for you to process. Talk with a friend, a pastor or a Christian counselor. While you can’t fix the hurt you can live through it as others have.

4. Release it- The fourth step Chuck shared gives us permission to weep. John 11 says that Jesus wept at the funeral of His friend Lazarus. If Jesus wept then it’s certainly okay for us to weep.

5. Memorialize it- This final step will help us create a memorial that is meaningful to us. In the story of John Walsh, he took his rage to the street and has been fighting crime in honor of his son for years.

The Bible says in Psalm 30:5 that weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. We rest on the promises of God that He will never leave us or forsake us. God has promised us in the 23rd Psalm that when we walk through the valley of shadows and of death we will fear no evil because God is with us. Never forget that God will never leave you or forsake you.