GRACE & NATURE
Counseling for Grief and Loss
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. -Lamentations 3:32
No one grieves the same. It looks different for everyone. for some people it's a deep, quiet suffering and for others it can feel like a tornado leaving a path of destruction through their life. Jesus reminds us throughout the Gospels that death is not the end of our story. He doesn't paint a silver lining on it or expect us to be joyful in the face of it. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, Showing us that sorrow is not a sign of a lack of faith.
Every Griever is Unique
There is no one right way to grieve. Some people cry often and others may not cry at all. Tears are not necessarily a sign of healing and a lack of tears is not necessarily a sign of repressed grief. Navigating grief can be even more confusing when one person's way of experiencing a loss looks completely different from another family member. Styles of grief can clash within families and communities which makes an already painful time even more confusing. Counseling can offer you a space to untangle these experiences in a place that is safe and non-judgmental.
What About Stages?
You’ve probably heard of Kubler Ross’s Stages of Grief. These can be a helpful Paradigm to understand your experiences within the grief process but they are not the only way of understanding what is happening. grief is not tidy or sequential, it is messy and painful. If you are wondering why your experience of grief doesn't seem to fit the “norm” it may be because there are other ways of understanding the process of loss outside of the stages of grief.
A Theological Take On Loss
Human beings were never supposed to experience death. in the beginning it was not so. This is why death is so painful and disturbing. Our bodies and souls were never meant to be separated. This is why it is so painful because it is unnatural. grief is a natural response to the consequences of the Fall. Grief is a sign that something mattered and is no longer here. It is a sign that someone mattered and your life will be dynamically different because of their loss. Counseling can give you hope that even in the midst of tragedy Christ offers us the hope of eternal life.
What Counseling Can Offer
Grief counseling offers a safe and sacred space to process when grief feels stuck or overwhelming.
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Understanding of the process of grief for you individually
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navigate boundaries and family Dynamics in the midst of the loss
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help you process the challenging questions and doubts that come up with loss
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explore how the losses affected your faith
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give you hope that despair does not have to rule your life
You don't have to go through your grief alone, we are here to walk with you, to give you hope along the way, and to help you feel a lasting connection to the person you love