Day 228 - Address Unresolved Issues

365 daily emails to help you through the grieving process Grief support groups: Click here to find a GriefShare group near you. If you would like to find a group for a friend or relative, try our Search Page. Want to read ahead or resend a previous daily email? Click Here Address Unresolved Issues Day 228 Having unresolved issues with the person who died will cause you to be stuck in grief. These issues may be petty disagreements over work or family life, or they could be deep-rooted conflicts that were never settled. You can still settle those issues in your own heart. "You can't get unstuck from grief until you deal with the issues that stuck and gummed things up in the first place," says Dr. Ray Pritchard. To complete the grieving process, you must go back and deal with unresolved issues. These matters can be resolved. A pastor, counselor, or support group may help you with this. You could also write a letter to the loved one with whom you had the disagreement or misunderstanding. Give details and ask for forgiveness. Because the person you lost cannot read the letter or respond to you, this exercise is totally for your benefit. Finally, tear up the letter. The matter is settled and finished. You can do no more. Tell God about these conflicts. Tell Him what the disagreement was, how you felt then, and how you feel now. "Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together" (Isaiah 43:26). Lord God, I keep thinking, If only. But I cannot go back, so I must go forward with Your help. Lead me to a Christian counselor or support group that can help me settle the issues causing such turmoil in my heart. But first, Lord, let me tell You all about it … Through a Season of Grief The daily email messages you are receiving are also available in a book format. Purchase as a gift for a friend or buy a print copy for yourself. Through a Season of Grief by Bill Dunn and Kathy Leonard is available at online and local bookstores or at griefshare.org/devotional. If you would like to recommend these daily emails to a friend, please click here and choose one of the options under Share. For more information about GriefShare, including how to sign up for these daily emails, please click here. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2003-2013 by The Church Initiative, Inc., All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without explicit permission in writing from Church Initiative. You subscribed to this daily email through www.griefshare.org. We value your privacy! We will never give, sell, rent, or otherwise share your email or personal information with any other organization — EVER. To remove this email address from further mailings Click Here while connected to the internet. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755