Grief and Growth: Introduction

Maybe it's a bold assumption to make, but I imagine most people think of grief as something negative that takes place in the aisles of a funeral home in oceans of people wearing dark colors. Expand your view, and suddenly you might see grief as something else entirely. I see grief as this: an ever-changing, awkwardly shaped object that doesn't quite fit in your pocket, forcing you to carry it around in your hand every day. Sometimes, the general form of it morphs, becomes heavier or lighter, and you may notice it more one day and less the next. 

For me, it took months to realize exactly what I was holding and why it felt so horribly heavy. Out of seemingly nowhere, my physical strength diminished, my mind and intellect grew fuzzy and dull, and every form of my stamina disappeared. The life I thought I wanted was stripped away so quickly and left me so deeply upset. Looking back over the last year (and some change) and in my current situation, I see grief so clearly in its defined stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Now, as I slowly reach the acceptance side of grief, I realize how much healing has been done in my hurting and, best of all, how close God really is to the brokenhearted.