Navigating life's losses (2)
Manage episode 345127621 series 2804136
"A time to be born, and a time to die." Ecc 3:2
Researchers at the Colorado Institute of Grief offer
us this helpful four-stage path to recovery. Stage
one - Shock. Our initial response is one of denial
and disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening.it's
not real!" There is a numbing of our senses, a God-
designed natural "anesthesia" that buffers the early
blow and allows us time to gather our coping
mechanisms. Stage two - Protest. We feel anger
and resentment against God, yet we feel guilty for
blaming Him. We may blame ourselves, the doctors,
the patient, and question God's love and
faithfulness-even bargaining with Him. "If You will
just do a miracle and bring them back, I will..." Stage
three - Disorganization. Everything comes apart at
the seams. The lifestyle we knew and loved
unravels. The dreams we cherished evaporate. We
feel hopeless, powerless, lost in a strange, empty
universe. Secondary losses may loom: financial
insecurity, social dislocation, depression, loss of
concentration, etc. We're convinced that life will
never be normal again. We survive moment to
moment, afraid to anticipate the road ahead. Stage
four - Reorganization. Unrelenting grief gives way
to waves of sadness varying in frequency and
intensity. We begin to accept and accommodate our
loss. The energy we expended on grief work
becomes available again, enabling us to adjust to
the demands and opportunities of our new lifestyle.
Slowly we reemerge and take hold of the reins
again. The process will take many months, and full
recovery even years. But God promises it will come!
There will be "a time to heal...build up..laugh...
dance...gain!" (Ecc 3:3-4, 6 NKJV).
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