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Posts Tagged ‘faith’

Part 2: Filling the Void with “Faith” during Grief

Posted in Revelations, tagged , , , , , , on September 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

CrossOnHeart-300x225Some behaviors in grief are unhealthy which can cause serious consequences. To replace our unhealthy behaviors with new behaviors we have to change our belief system.

Proverbs 3:5-6   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Faith has a starting point. Often it’s a wake-up call when we hit our bottom. For some it may be a D.U.I. or a trip to rehab. For others it may be a health issue over unhealthy eating habits. Or maybe what started out as a few dollars on a slot machine, turned into a larger gambling debt.

For me, I indulged in drinking, eating, and gambling until a serious consequence happened. It happened to my daughter because of my negligence. An accident that happened on the same day and time as my deceased husband’s death. On a Thursday evening at 8:00 pm. My wake-up call!

I reached a point where I had to surrender. God was waiting for me. I realized that I had to begin filling my void by trusting God. I had to begin to grow my faith. I gave up my destructive habits, surrendered all control over to God, and began to pray for peace and guidance.

What are some ways that you’re growing your faith?

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Part 1: Filling the Void “Our Way” in Grief

Posted in Revelations, tagged , , , , , , on September 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

4c63cba276044235894f4fea34fd0135_2[1]An empty chocolate heart box. This is what my heart felt like when my husband died. Empty! What did I fill it back up with? Why do I grieve and feel such pain?

John 16:20 “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”

We may feel like our grief will never turn to joy, but Jesus makes this promise to us.

There was a time in my early months of grief that I went into denial. Even though I was a Christian and had faith that God was with me, some of my behaviors were not showing that I trusted God with my grief. Two months into widowhood, I was on a trip with my 2 daughters in California. I told my friend Lynette that God was taking away the pain. I said this while I was having my 3rd or 4th margarita. (After the 2nd one, I lost count!) She told me the pain would come once I returned home. I didn’t believe her at the time. But after months of drinking and trying to numb the pain my way, there came a point where drinking no longer worked. The pain would always come back and not to even mention the consequences!

There comes a time where filling the void ourselves doesn’t work anymore.

What are some behaviors you’ve been known to do to fill your void in grief?

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Do We Always Think…They Died Before Their Time?

Posted in Grief Resources, Shared Stories, tagged , , , , , , on August 31, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Bright_green_tree_-_Waikato-300x225[1]I’d like to share part of a post from my on-line friend, JoAnne. Her website, Heartache to Healing, is a wonderful place to go for grief support resources!

How Can People Know, Someone Dies Before Their Time?

I’m sure many of us have heard the comment “they died before their time”  when someone dies at what seems earlier than they should have.  I felt that way when my husband died at age 55 following an accident.  Being widowed at age 49 simply didn’t seem fair.  When children die we all feel a terrible injustice and our hearts break for parents that have to endure such a loss.  But I wonder, how can people know someone dies before their time?
However long you live maybe it simply is your time.  We don’t know when our time is, when it will end here on earth and most of our religious beliefs help us come to terms with death and how we can find peace with it. When a loved one dies we most often turn to our religious faith for answers, comfort and support. Faith can offer strength to us when our loved ones die, I know for me,  my faith helped me walk the journey through grief.  Read more….

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The Top 10 Lessons I Learned From Grief

Posted in Revelations, tagged , , , , , , on August 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This was published for the Grief ToolBox

http://thegrieftoolbox.com/article/top-10-lessons-i-learned-grief

#10  I didn’t care what anyone thought about how I grieved:
Grief made me go crazy for a while. I was selfish and self-centered. Thankfully, my family and friends supported me through and took care of my children until I came to my senses.

#9  I prayed:

I soon realized that I couldn’t do it on my own. I needed God’s help. (Sounds like a 12 step program!)In my prayers, I not only talked to God, but I learned how to listen to Him and heed His advice.

#8 I had to rethink my priorities:

Grief taught me what was most important in my life. God became my number one priority. I then treasured my family and relationships that I still had here. My two daughters were my main concern.

#7 Time doesn’t heal all wounds:

It’s not about time. There are people who are still living in grief 17 yrs. later. Unless you do the grief work, with God’s help, you’ll continue to grieve. God is our healer who helps to heal our wounds.

#6  My loved one was only part of my life, not my whole life:

Traveling to visit family and friends brought me my first moments of joy. Many I knew before I even knew my loved one. I realized there was a lot more to my life than just my married life.

#5  Joy and pain coexist:

As I found myself feeling more joyful, a special day would bring back the pain. A birthday, a holiday, an anniversary day, my daughters’ dance recitals, my daughters’ graduations. It’s OK. The pain makes me remember the beautiful memories.

#4  God uses suffering for good to help us grow:

God has used me as a witness to bring others to Christ through my grief.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

#3  Life is temporary here:

Some day, I will lose another loved one. I will grieve again. But I have faith that my eternal home will be in Heaven. It will be a permanent place to reunite with my loved ones that have gone before.

#2  God is in control:

I’ve surrendered my life over. God’s in control of everything anyway. There’s no “What ifs…?” My life and everyone else’s life is in His hands. I trust He knows best. He’ll always have the last word!

And the #1 lesson I’ve learned from grief is:

# 1  It’s time to serve others and pass on the comfort that I received:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

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Summer Break

Posted in Answer to Prayers, tagged , , , , , , on August 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Puerto Rico 2013 020We all need a break. Especially after we complete a life time goal. I completed my book, “A Widow’s Pursuit”, last year. I self-published it, put it on Amazon, and then threw a couple book parties to celebrate my accomplishment. After that, I converted the hard-copy into a kindle version to reach more readers. I know I have more marketing to do, but the book is done.

If I add up the time it took to journal, attend a writer’s group, (now that’s pain and suffering!) write endless drafts, have it edited, and have others read it for reviews and comments, we’re talking a total of about 17 years. An interesting fact is that I knew my first husband, before he died, for about 17 years!

So I closed this chapter of my life and celebrated my achievement. I choose to splurge with some of my closest family. My present husband, Joseph, agreed to a family vacation to Puerto Rico with our three daughters, my 4 year old grandson and his daddy. Seven of us in PR celebrating life!

Since my first husband’s parents still lived in Puerto Rico, it felt like a grand finale when we reunited and brought our blended families together. My daughters and I had traveled there several times and we also lived there for a year. So going back, one more time, felt like the circle of life was complete. It was a place I felt peace, joy, and purpose. It was a wonderful break this summer!

So what’s next? I’m planning to continue my pursuit to reach not only young widows, but others that are going through grief. There’s a purpose for everyone’s pain and suffering. It’s just a matter of pursuing God’s peace to help us through our darkest moments. During this time, our faith will grow and our purpose will be revealed. It’s actually a simple formula that promises us, life can be joyful and purposeful again!Puerto Rico 2013 068

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“Postcards from the Widow’s Path” by Ferree Hardy

Posted in Grief Resources, Shared Stories, tagged , , , , , on June 1, 2013| 2 Comments »

Postcards Greyden book cover picture[1]

I had the privilege to meet Ferree Hardy last year who authored, “Postcards from the Widow’s Path.” We first met through our blogs and then had the opportunity to have lunch one day when she was in Atlanta. It was wonderful to meet another remarried widow that had authored a widow’s book to show the glory she gives to God and how she walked by faith to a renewed life.

Please take a visit to Ferree’s website when you can, Widow’s Christian Place, to see the numerous resources she has for widows along with a link to purchase her book, Postcards from the Widow’s Path. Ferree’s book offers insight into the challenges of widowhood and how to achieve renewed life and hope. It gives a biblical understanding of God’s specific care and concern for widows

Ferree states that, “There are plenty of books about grief, and there are plenty of Bible studies about Ruth. But Postcards from the Widows’ Path is the only book that looks at Ruth through the eyes of a widow. Scripture comes alive as we see how God uses the examples of Ruth, Naomi and Orpah to guide us through the twists and turns of widowhood and into the deep love and compassion of God.”

It’s nice to know that there are many resources of hope for widows. We widows have to stick together and show, that if we pursue God’s help and provision in our lives, we can have a renewed life with joy, peace and purpose!

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I Believe In Healing

Posted in Answer to Prayers, tagged , , , , , , on May 4, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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In the book, I Believe In Healing, there are stories not only from the Bible, but from people that are experiencing miracles today. These are stories that can’t be explained by natural means and it reminds us that God is the same yesterday, today and forever!

I was able to contribute to this book, one of my own true stories of healing, “A Serious Back Injury”. My testimony along with others can continue to strengthen our faith and trust God during times of sickness and injuries. The book is being sold on amazon as a hard copy or kindle version. A great gift for anyone needing more proof that miracles still happen! Click here to order.

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