“The darker the night, the brighter the stars”. That is such a lovely quote…but it really does not do a lot for the pain we feel from loss. Starting Sunday, September 12, we will be offering An eight week course using the book Life’s Healing Choices written by John Baker.
Grief comes in and out of our lives in many shapes and forms. It comes far more often that we would like. Sometimes dealing with the pain seems more than we can handle. And then we read a beautiful quote…”the darker the night, the brighter the stars”. But I don’t want the bright stars, I want my life back, my child back, my job back, my health back, my reputation back. The pain is real. Grief has been described as the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social pain that we feel when we lose someone or something that we love. The pain can be real and it can be deep. As the poet said grief is the price we pay for loving deeply.
We realize we grieve for loved ones who die. We also grieve for many other losses in life. You cannot compare one grief to another. We can, however acknowledge the grief and try to live with it and learn how to move on with it. And so, we believe whatever we do we can do better together. So let’s give it a try. If you have experienced loss, whether a loved one, a relationship, a marriage, a reputation, physical health…whatever the loss, I invite you to join us on this journey of healing.
This discipleship study is being offered on Sunday night for several reasons. First, we have some built in benefits: an available fellowship meal; child care; healing worship; and small groups. Dealing with grief fits so perfectly into Celebrate Recovery’s Mission…freedom from life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups. It is a common mistake to think of CR as dealing with only alcohol and drug abuse. Only about 1/3 of those attending CR are dealing with substance abuse. The rest are dealing with every day hurts, hang-ups and habits. I attend CR to deal with past issues of anger, anxiety, control, etc, etc. Others may be dealing with depression, mental health issues, broken relationships and loss. It might surprise you how many of our hang-ups and habits have their beginning in our hurts…like the grief of loss that we did not deal with. You are welcome to join us. This study will be based on the 8 Beatitudes found in Matthew 5. We would love to have a book ready for you. Let us know.
Remember that grieving does not mean you are imperfect. It means you are human.
Pastor Tom
