I woke up Sunday morning feeling very sad. It was as if a dark, wet cloud was hovering over my soul. I tried to shrug the sadness off, but I couldn’t shake it. It wasn’t until I got to church that I realized that this was the first All Saints’ Day I’ve observed since my mom died in July.
My body and soul felt the grief before my mind could process what was going on.
I am an Enneagram 3, so it takes me a while to feel my feelings, that’s if I even allow myself to feel them. Throughout the service, I allowed the tears to come. I allowed my whole self to continue grieving the passing of my mom. I am learning that I will never be done grieving her death.
We all have things in our lives we need to continue to grieve. The death of a loved one. The loss of a job. The reality that a dream may never come true.
Today I invite you to PAUSE and allow yourself a few minutes to feel the grief that you may have been ignoring.
As we begin today’s PAUSE, I invite you to take a few deep breaths in and out. In and out.
Pray: Come, Holy Spirit.
Pause.
Reflect: Name your grief out loud. No matter how big or how small. Name it before the Lord.
Pause.
Notice: Do you sense any tension in your body? Breathe in and out. Pray: Come, Holy Spirit.
Pause.
Read: The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18)
Pause.
Process: What does it mean for the LORD to be near you in this moment? What comes to your imagination as you read this verse again?
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18)
Pause.
The LORD doesn’t promise to take our grief away. I wish he did. Yet, he never forsakes us. He promises to be with us as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Invite the LORD into your grief.
Pray: Jesus, I invite you into the grief I am experiencing from . Will you please be near to me? Please awaken my grieving soul and body to your presence.
I woke up Monday morning totally exhausted. Spent. Depleted. Again, I didn’t know what was going on. It took me half the day to realize my body was still grieving. This was another invitation for me to invite the Lord in, to be near to me. May you sense the presence of Jesus as you grieve today.
Grace and peace.
