“4 Powerful Truths about Grief,” Liahona, October 2017
4 Powerful Truths about Grief
So many of us will experience grief in our lives. Because grief can affect each person differently, it can be difficult to understand how you’re supposed to feel and how to move forward. Steven Eastmond, a hospice social worker and a member of the Church, met with many people whose loved ones had recently passed away. In an article called “The Healing Power of Grief,” he shared the following four truths about grief to help us better understand it:
1. Grief is painful, but it helps you heal. “Grief hurts, but it can be the salve that helps us heal when it is allowed to do its work appropriately. The first step in handling grief is to recognize that the pain is a normal part of the process. It needs to be acknowledged, not avoided.”
2. Feeling sorrow doesn’t mean you lack faith. “I have worked with many good people who wondered if they had lost faith because they felt profound sorrow at the passing of a loved one. They mistakenly thought that a person with a strong testimony should not feel deeply saddened at a loved one’s passing—as if mourning the loved one’s death were synonymous with a disbelief in the afterlife or the Savior’s promises.”
3. Grief is a sign of love. “Grief is the price we pay for loving someone—and that price is worth it. None of the people I have worked with said they would give up the love they had for a family member in order to avoid the grief that came from losing that family member.”
4. Despite the pain, you can feel peace again. “Through the power of the Atonement, ‘the sting of death’ can be replaced by the peace that the Spirit brings (see Alma 22:14).”
Grief is a natural part of mortal life, but because of the Lord’s plan for us, we can take comfort in knowing we will be reunited with our loved ones again one day.