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WINNING WITH THE WORD “Winning with the Word” is a weekly blog that will help you to be a winner in life by applying God’s principles for living the abundant life as found in the Bible, God’s manual for life. AN INVITATION TO YOU: To follow this blog, click here.  If this blog has blessed you, please encourage your family and friends to subscribe as well. Thank you! ______________________________________       Do you prefer listening instead of reading? Then click below to listen to today’s blog post:       https://media.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/content.blubrry.com/winning_with_the_word/WWW_Podcast_05112020_How_to_Grieve_Healthfully.mp3 ______________________________________________ Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Novelist and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Monday, May 11, 2020. Today’s Podcast is Episode #19 in Series 2020 and is titled “How to Grieve Heathfully." Grief is a part of the human experience. Not a pleasant part, but an inevitable one. Yet, grief brings with it some dangers of which we need to be aware.  There are many types of grief. Probably the worst kind of grief is the loss of a loved one, whether sudden or expected. Either way, we are never prepared for the death of someone close to us. But there is also the grief that comes from the loss of a friendship, the loss of a love relationship, the loss of a job, the loss of a dream, the loss of a bodily function, the loss of finances. I could go on and on and on.  No matter the cause of the grief, the process of grieving is similar. Let's take a look at this process, keeping in mind that there is a right way and a wrong way to grieve. We discover the right way to grieve in God's Holy Word. Here are three important keys to grieving healthfully: 1. Grieve! This may sound obvious, but some people resist grieving in an attempt to be stoic. But the Bible not only permits grieving; it encourages it.  When referring to the death of believers, the Apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Thessalonians 4: 13: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope."  Paul didn't simply write, "so you will not grieve." No, he wrote "so you will not grieve like people who have no hope." In other words, Paul encouraged grieving, but the right kind of grieving--the grieving that was filled with hope. What hope? The hope of being reunited one day with one's loved one in Heaven. This is the wonderful hope experienced by those who are born again. 2. God wants us to express our grief to Him. The Psalmist David is our example in this. David frequently expressed his grief to God. But almost always, his expression of grief turned into an expression of praise. Expressing our grief to God lightens its burden as God replaces our grief with His comfort. 3. God wants us to express our grief to others. God has placed us in relationship to others so that we can bless one another. Part of blessing another is to share our pain during times of loss. Allow others to comfort you when you are grieving. Sharing the load will lighten it. Grief becomes dangerous when it becomes pathological. Pathological grief is inordinate grief that remains stuck and cannot resolve itself. This most often occurs when the person has not gone through the stages of grief in a healthful manner. Although I won't get into them here, these stages of grief include denial, anger, bargaining with God, depression, and acceptance. If you are experiencing grief, know that God cares. As you give your grief to Him, He will take it and, in due time, restore to you the joy of living.  Jesus died to take away our grief. If you do not yet know Him as your Savior, pray this simple prayer with me now to receive Him: Lord Jesus,You, above all others, are acquainted with grief. I come to You now,