Can Grief and Hope Co-Exist? | Questions Grieving Christians Ask Ep. 4

This episode is from MyGriefCare's Questions Grieving Christian Ask Series. For any mentioned downloads, more great grief support series, grief support resources and tools visit https://www.mygriefcare.com/

Anne-Marie Lockmyer and Ron Gray, LMFT, are professional grief specialists who both lost their beloved spouses. They run the Grief & Trauma Healing Network, LLC, have created MyGriefCare.com online grief support program and offer life-changing grief retreats for widows and other grief healing programs and services.
Grief & Trauma Healing Network
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The Next Chapter Healing Grief Retreat for Widows: https://www.griefandtraumahealing.com...
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QUESTIONS GRIEVING CHRISTIANS ASK: Can Grief and Hope Co-Exist?

Can grief and hope co-exist? In fact, they can exist together - and I’ll explain how. First, let’s define grief. Grief is your natural reaction to experiencing a difficult loss. In this case, I’m specifically addressing the loss of a loved one. Grief will affect you mentally, emotionally and physically. In fact, heavy grief can, and probably will, impact every domain of your life. Losing a loved one brings up many difficult feelings which may include deep sadness, emptiness, being stunned, shame, remorse, fear, anxiety, anger, confusion, and often a sense of hopelessness.

So, if your hope is simply a feeling, then grief and hope are not compatible. After all, how can a person feel hopeful and hopeless at the same time? But, what if a hope exists that is something MORE than a feeling or a wish?
The Bible teaches us about such hope. The hope is offers is available to all who put their faith in Jesus. This hope is a promise not a feeling. It offers a future that transcends feelings. Feelings are something like bubbles - they pop up and eventually they float away or poof, they’re gone.. But you can “possess” the gift of a hope which allows you an enduring and confident belief in a promised future. If you view hope as an eternal promise, you will begin to see grief, not as the end of your life, but rather grief is a cloud casting a shadow on your present life. Darkness may seem to block out light. But, while you are in that shadow, knowing you have a guaranteed future hope can remind you that (“Your cloud of grief will fade and will pass in time, as you come to terms with and process your loss.)
Where exactly does such a hope come from? (Possessing an enduring hope is available to every person who puts his or her faith in Jesus Christ). If you are a Christian and thinking - “I think I’ve lost my hope.” I have good news for you. Christians can lose touch with their hope temporarily. But losing touch of your enduring hope is different from losing your hope. The Bible teaches that you won’t actually “lose” this hope because your hope in and through Jesus is permanent.
If you are a Christian and you’ve lost touch with your hope. Don’t be hard on yourself. Instead, just reach out to God in prayer and remind yourself through scripture about the authentic hope he’s given you. Life here on Earth is not always easy nor is it painless. Knowing that something more, better and enduring awaits you after this life can help get you through your most difficult times. Right now, you are deep in a season of loss, grieving the loss of someone you deeply love. But, your future remains intact because God is not a passing season. He is the beginning and the end and He does not break promises.