A loved one dies. Your world is upended. The emotional pain can be intense.
Your heart begins asking questions. "Am I going crazy? Am I going to make it? Where is God in all this?"
Many of the people around you don't know what to say or do. They utter cliches and platitudes.
"It's okay. You're strong. You'll get through this."
You need something more than this - far more.
You need to know that it's okay to hurt, to be sad, and to grieve.
You need to know that you're not crazy and that your grief is "normal."
You need to know that you're not alone in this.
You need to know that you will get through this, even though you will not be the same person you were before.
And most of all, you need the comfort of God's presence. You need to experience his compassion and love. You need to know he is walking with you in your pain and grief.
And that's what Grief Walk is all about.
Multiple award-winning author, speaker, hospice chaplain, and grief specialist Gary Roe has become a trusted voice in grief recovery who has been bringing comfort, hope, and encouragement to wounded hearts for more than three decades. A former missionary and pastor, Gary knows the spiritual questions that tug at your heart during this time of loss.
Loss invaded Gary's life early. His childhood was riddled with sexual abuse, bullying, disappointments, failures, deaths, estrangements, and divorce. He grew up feeling damaged, sad, and lonely. He was functionally orphaned by the time he was 15.
Gary wondered if he was going to make it. He said to himself, "If this is what life is like, I must find a way to handle the hits that come. Then, I must find a way to use the pain for good, or else what is this all for? God, only you can do this. If you don't, I'm history."
The losses kept coming. Some were deep and even debilitating. Over time, they piled up and threatened to crush Gary's heart.
"Even in my darkest moments, God was there, embracing me in my pain and whispering to my wounded heart. He kept me alive. He has led me through the valley of the shadow of death many times. He continues to bring healing to my injured soul, though never quite in the way I ask for or anticipate. And, true to his loving nature, he continues to take my losses and use them for good, in my life and in the lives of those around me."
God meets us in our pain and embraces us. He journeys with us through the emotional upheaval, mental confusion, physical distress, spiritual questioning, and relational changes. Jesus has personally experienced more pain, suffering, and grief than we can fathom. He knows. He gets it. He is the best grief companion imaginable.
He walks with us in our stuff. That's what Grief Walk is all about.
Grief Walk is designed to be read one chapter a day. Consider it a grief devotional. Take your time. Open your heart. Be honest about your thoughts and emotions. Allow Jesus to meet you in each day's reading.
God is with you in your pain and grief. He loves you where you are, as you are. If you're willing, He will bring healing and growth to your broken heart. He will somehow use this loss for good in your life and in the lives of those you touch.
Let the Grief Walk begin...