Day 81 - Blame

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 Blame Day 81 Humans seem to have a natural tendency to want to place blame, as if that would help resolve the feelings of distress and pain. But blame is a black hole that will suck you down further and further. "As a pastor, I've seen people respond to grief in every way," says Dr. Jack Hayford. "I think of the beauty of recent events in my own congregation. There was a young couple who were instantly separated by the intervention of death while they were at a national park. He fell into a rushing river and was trapped beneath a log where he could not get out. There was no way to attempt rescue because of the force of the stream. His wife was standing right there, not ten feet away, watching him drown, seeing it happen. "To watch that family move into an openness to the comfort of the Spirit of God, to not blame God, to recognize an accident for what it is, to believe that God didn't design it, but He did foresee it and that His comfort and presence would be with them is a tremendously thrilling thing to witness." Jesus urges you not to be troubled by blame, but to move forward in the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit of God. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:26-27). Holy God, this blame isn't accomplishing anything but added pain for me. Send me Your comforting Spirit to guide my thoughts into a clear perspective. Amen. 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