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Dealing With The Painful Loss Of A
Loved One
By Anna Allen
I had to take a friend to the doctor today and as I sit
here in the waiting room about to doze off I begin to
write this article. By the way, why do waiting rooms in
doctor's offices make people sleepy?
OK, let me get back on track. As I'm sitting here, I
hear a lady behind me talking of her past depression.
She mentions she felt so lonely after her dear husband
passed away. In her own words, 'her whole world fell
apart.' She said her husband handled everything in their
marriage such as the money, bills and auto maintenance.
After he passed away she became overwhelmed with all the
finances and other responsibilities she now had to deal
with, not to mention the fact that she was still
mourning the death of her husband.
This conversation got me to thinking of how many people
deal with the painful loss of a loved one.
Many times when a loved one passes, those left behind
might not immediately feel the effects of that loss. It
has not 'hit them' or 'sunk in' yet. Sometimes it takes
a while for a person to react to the loss. Some may try
to stay strong or hide their feelings in front of
others. But when the funeral is over and the family and
friends have returned to their homes, the person may
break down. It finally sinks in. Some sink into a
depression so bad they close themselves off from the
rest of the world. They take extra time off from work
and even turn down invitations from family and friends.
Isolation and self-pity are never the answer. It's okay
to mourn. Even people in Bible times mourned when they
lost loved ones in death.
A few examples of this include:
* King David who was grief stricken when his son Absalon
died (2Samuel 18:33)
* Abraham bewailed the loss of his dear wife, Sarah
(Genesis 23:2)
* Even Jesus himself, who was a perfect man, 'gave way
to tears' over the death of his friend Lazarus (John
11:35)
So this shows that there is a sadness when we lose a
loved one to death.
The thing is to not dwell on everything. Keep busy. Get
involved in other things such as hobbies. Get you mind
off the loss. The memories will always be there but they
don't have to be painful.
Another thing that can help you deal with your sorrow is
Bible reading. God, being the loving God that he is,
helps his people to endure the extreme sadness and grief
that comes with bereavement. God's spirit helps us to
have peace and faith in the worderful future promised in
his Word the Bible.
The Scriptures refer to God as 'the God of all comfort,'
so we can be sure that he will give us the strength we
need and not let us be overwhelmed by sad thoughts about
our dead loved one.
Knowing all this should help us realize that we are not
alone in experiencing the pain of our loss. Others have
been through the same thing. In time, the pain will
subside. The world is not going to stop for our broken
heart. Life will go on. Things WILL get better.
So knowing all of this and the fact that even the
perfect man Jesus went through this as well, should help
us to deal with the painful loss of a loved one.
For more information on Depression and dealing with the
loss of a loved one visit Anna's website at: http://www.depressionadviceonline.com/index.html
or visit her Depression blog which is full of helpful
information updated daily at: http://depressionadviceonline.blogspot.com/ |
