Good Grief Week 2: God is With You

Welcome back! In this session, we will focus on the One who remains with us on our trek.

Lesson 2 Intro video – under construction

To Learn—

For the Soul:

Loss is such a personal experience that often it is compounded by a sense of isolation. Yet scripture tells us repeatedly that we are not alone.

Ps 73:23 (NIV) Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.

God is with us. Always. Even in the midst of difficulty. But look closely at this promise:

Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV) The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

There is sooooo much for us in this verse:

- The LORD Himself goes before you-As guide. As companion. As protector. As the One who clears the way and prepares the path we walk.
- He will be with you. We are not in this alone.
- He will never leave you. God is not going anywhere without us.
- He will never forsake you. It is not in God’s nature to abandon His children.
- Do not be afraid. God is at our side. He is love. Perfect love casts out fear.
- Do not be DIScouraged. Be ENcouraged. God is with you! Just say, “Here I am!”

He is faithful. He keeps His word. He will never leave you. Listen as Tim Timmons explains in his song “Never Will.” I don’t know if you know his story, but Tim was diagnosed with incurable cancer in 2004 and given 5 years to live. God is at work with this man!

So, when you feel overwhelmed, remember: God is with you. Just let Him know you’re here and ready.

“Here I am” is our brief prayer as we work on this session.

For the Heart: Scripture to memorize as you work through this session-

Ps 73:23 (NIV) “Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.

For the Body:

Water. Most people do not drink enough water even in the best of circumstances. In the struggles of loss, it is difficult to remember self-care. While many things may not be in your control right now, you can control your water intake. Eight 8 oz. glasses per day is recommended. How many will you drink today?

For the Mind:

- - Normal Grief Responses: (Knowing what is “normal” can help you cope when these things show up in your experience.)
    - Your physical self will experience many demands while you mourn. This can cause your immune system to weaken, making you more susceptible to illness.
    - Fatigue is common.
    - Your emotions become roller-coastery. A single day or hour may bombard you with a mind-boggling number of dramatically different feelings.
    - Socially, you may feel uncomfortable. You may or may not want to be around people. Even if you want people near, you may not feel like talking. This is compounded by the fact that often times friends and family retreat from those who are grieving. Whether they themselves are uncomfortable or they wish to “give you space,” you can end up feeling isolated.
    - You may question God in your time of loss. “Why?” and “Where was God in this?” are natural questions, but they are very draining during a time when your energy is already low and yet in high demand.
  - Hugs: Virginia Satir, a family therapist, says, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.” She’s done the research to back it up. That’s pretty straightforward, but also pretty intimidating. How do we get the hugs we need? We may have to ask for them.
  - Reach Out for Help: Grieving your loss may very well be the hardest thing you have ever done. You would never expect to face other major life challenges alone (starting a career or raising children, for example), so why do so many people suffer through grief alone? I’ve often heard, “If you share a burden, you halve it; if you share a blessing, you double it.” While sharing your feelings with someone won’t make those feelings disappear, it can help you gain perspective. And while you are the only one facing this loss in this exact way, you may find someone else who is facing this loss will need someone, too. Make a pact with them to call when you need or even set up a weekly face-to-face appointment.
- Ignore Hurtful Comments and Myths:
  - Many times people make offhand comments when they don’t know what to say. Don’t let their words pierce your heart. You know the clichés: “This is a blessing; I know how you feel; You’ll get over it.”
  - We also have been taught several damaging myths about mourning: “Tears show weakness; I have to be strong; We don’t talk about grief; It will hurt less if I don’t mention their name.” Most of these cause us to feel guilty about our true feelings. Your feelings are yours. Recognize and name them. Embrace them. But don’t sit and stew in them.

To Create— (This course is designed for Art Journaling, but you should use whatever media you prefer.)

The following assignments are optional. Complete them or not in whatever order fits your needs. This is your journey. Do not let this course add stress to it. Remember that my art samples are intended only as a starting point.

It’s a Heart Thing- (3/12)

Using your glue/Mod Podge and the tissue paper, create a heart on page 3/12. Don’t use scissors. Tear the tissue. Use as many/few colors as you wish. Don’t over think. Just do. Please do this activity before you do the Color Key Assignment.

It’s an Art Thing:

Color Key Assignment – Locate the 2-page spread that I’d asked you to skip for a Color Key Activity. We are going back to that today.
**Please read & do steps 1-4 before reading step 5, as it will be more meaningful to you if you do.
1. Do the “It’s a Heart Thing” assignment for this session.
2. On the page you skipped before at the front of your journal, glue small chunks of your tissue paper scattered across your page. Be as orderly or free with this as you need to be.
3. Label each color/design with an emotion. Don’t over think. Just label them with your first impulse. There is a pdf list of emotions in the files tab in case you draw a blank. (There are 60 listed. I do NOT expect you to use them all. Just select 8-10 emotions that you have been experiencing lately.)
4. If you want, draw blocks of color with your coloring tools and label them with other emotions as well.
5. ???

Yes. I hid step 5. Have you really labelled things? You need to do that first… Seriously, this activity will have so much more impact if you label your colors now.

5. Okay. Now, look back at the art work you’ve been doing for this course so far. Are there colors that dominate your choices? What are the emotions that you connected to these colors? Does this surprise you?

Mind-Calming Art

Neurographic Art video – under construction

“Here I Am.”
In the pages of your journal past the 1-12 Heart Activities, add a page that illustrates this session’s prayer: “Here I Am.” Show yourself as totally available to God.

It’s a Writing Thing:

Vitamins – We all know that taking vitamins daily is often recommended for our health. I propose that we take daily “vitamins” here, too. On the next page of your journal, write today’s date. Then add 1 thing you are thankful for today. It may not be easy to find anything, but write something down. Each day, “Take your vitamins” and add 1 new thing you are thankful for. Just 1 a day. I know there are some days when even finding ONE thing is difficult. How about “I got out of bed today” or “I have people praying for me.” (That’s true! My prayer warriors and I pray for you EVERY DAY.) If you sign up for my newsletter at my website 13prayers.com, you are automatically included in our prayers.

“Here I Am” – To truly offer yourself up to God, you must be wholly available. What part(s) of you have you been holding back from God? Why? Take a page and journal your answer. Use Privacy techniques from this video (under construction) as needed.

It’s a Feeling Thing (Stages of Grief):
You may sometimes find it hard to determine where you are in the stages of grief. Go back to this journal page now. If determining your stage is true for you, read through these short descriptions to see where you are. Perhaps you could jot down a note for each stage to remind yourself how you have coped while you experienced it. This gives you a place to start if you find yourself there again.

- “What is happening?” –Shock/Numbness
- “This can’t be happening.” – Denial
- “Who caused what’s happening?” – Anger
- “Whatever is happening doesn’t make sense.” – Confusion
- “I would do anything to change what’s happening.” – Bargaining
- “It’s my fault this is happening.” – Guilt
- “What’s the point of going on since this happened?” – Depression
- “No one meant for this to happen.” – Forgiveness
- “It’s going to be okay even though this happened.” – Acceptance
- “I am stronger now since I am moving through what happened.” – Moving Through

Mark the date by the stage you find yourself in today.

To Extend—

Dig: Search these additional scriptures to dig deeper –

Joshua 1:5
1 Kings 8:57
Hebrews 13:5

Select one (or more) of the following scriptures or quotes to illustrate or letter in your journal.

Scripture:

Isaiah 41:10 – (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:13 – (AMP) For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!
Psalm 18:35 – “You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me; Your help has made me great.”

Quotes:

You are not alone.
Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.
Do not let your circumstances change your view of God. Let God change your view of your circumstances.
For additional quotes, I’ve created a Pinterest board specifically for this session called “Good Grief – God With Me” here.

Don’t Forget:

My prayer team and I are praying for you daily.

One last thing…
If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I invite you to meet Him. For more information, click here.

Disclaimer: While I am a certified school counselor, I do not offer this course as a replacement for one-on-one personal therapy. This is an art journaling course designed to approach the grief process through Biblical scripture. If you feel your grief is beyond your control, please call 911 or speak to a health professional.