Grief and Grace

This past few months have been difficult for everyone and the next few months will also be difficult for many. It will be difficult not for the obvious reasons but for the underlying ones. As a society we have all dealt with the difficulty surrounding COVID-19 and the stay at home orders. We have watched as friends lost their jobs or even their businesses permanently. We have also watched as friends lost loved ones in a season when they were unable to fully grieve. We ourselves may have lost loved ones in this season. Some of the losses may have come as a direct result of the COVID crisis and some are things that just happened to occur in the midst of it all. The balancing act of many parents working from home while also trying to homeschool their children has also been trying at best. Children and adolescents have lost their opportunity to say goodbye and finish their school year with their teachers and friends.

When we begin to come out of our homes, the world we see will be far different than the one we left. There is a sense of fear that fills the air, and we can blame whomever we want for this, the truth of the matter is it is still there and will remain awhile. The sense of uncertainty, will this happen again, will yet another shoe drop? The growing frustration for the rules that some are fighting with everything they have because the rules don't make sense. Or the frustration of having the goal post moved every couple weeks or even days. For some the light at the end of the tunnel just gets further and further away and their frustration and hopelessness grows.

Yet, we start the process to reopen business and parks with baited breath, seeing what will happen next.

What we are forgetting about is the grief that has been sitting there waiting to come into play. For some they have begun to grieve but many will not see that grief for some times. When it comes, it will likely come as a sucker punch to the gut. The thing to remember is that we all process and manage our grief differently and we are all going to come out of this different.

It is important to remember that in the midst of all that is going on, as we re-emerge we need to give one another grace. Let's not assume the worst about one another but give people the benefit of the doubt. That they are trying to do what is right and trying to understand emotions that may not make sense. Let us hope that as we give grace, we receive grace. We are going to need others to be patient with us as we too are trying to figure things out.

How are you doing in this season? Need to chat feel free to comment below and let's chat!