Day 212 - A Relationship With God

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 A Relationship With God Day 212 The Lord wants so much more than to just visit you during a difficult time in your life. He wants to be involved in your life forever. This is the purpose for which you were born. "Salvation is a gift. You need to ask Jesus for it. He has died and paid the price. But unless you ask Him to be your Savior and Lord, you do not have a relationship with Him," says Dee Brestin. In order to be saved from this bleak existence, you must first believe and then ask. Salvation is not something you earn; it is a free gift of God. "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full" (John 16:24 NASB). Savior God, my life has a specific purpose in You. Help me to live out that purpose. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 211 - Source of True Healing

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 Source of True Healing Day 211 "Without a relationship with Christ, healing in every case will be superficial," says Dr. Larry Crabb. "I just can't face the depth of my pain without knowing Christ. Knowing Christ there's always hope. And the deeper the pain, the clearer the hope actually can become. "Without Christ, I can't face it. I can only face what a pill can solve. I can only face what an affair can solve. I can only face what drinking too much or eating too much or spending too much or crying a lot or watching TV or reading or watching soap operas can solve, which isn't the real me." Think of the actions or activities that you have been pursuing in an effort to alleviate the pain. Christ's healing love will always go deeper than anything you could find on this earth. With Christ, there is forgiveness and hope, no matter how hard the struggle, no matter how deep the pain, no matter how unforgivable you may feel. Read this miraculous promise that is available for all who call on the name of Jesus: "By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see" (Acts 3:16). God, I try to escape the pain through a myriad of activities from busyness to tears. But the reality of my healing is found in You. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 210 - Your Spiritual Life

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 Your Spiritual Life Day 210 Perhaps you have not explored your spiritual life in too much detail. You may feel uncomfortable doing so, or maybe you don't know where to start. Begin with the prayer "God, is there something more for me?" "Then listen for His answer in His Word," suggests Joni Eareckson Tada. "Begin reading the Psalms, which are written by men inspired by the Lord of the universe, full of emotional heartache, turmoil, doubt, anxiety, and fear. Let God speak to you through those Psalms. Then go to the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I would suggest starting with the book of John. Read about this God in flesh, this Jesus who walked the earth. Read about the way He reached out to the widow, the hurting child, the mother with a fever, and the single woman scorned at the well. Read about His love for these individuals, and you will know and feel His love the same." Discover the wonders of a relationship with the Lord Jesus. Become actively involved in reading His Word, and listen with your heart. "And he said to me, 'Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart all the words I speak to you'" (Ezekiel 3:10). Lord, I want to be tuned in to You, but my mind is so easily filled with clutter. Speak to me in Your Word, and teach me to listen. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 209 - Is God Interested?

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 Is God Interested? Day 209 God is a supreme being who is interested in and concerned about you, and He wants to be involved in the process of your healing. This is amazing. "Think of who God is," said Dr. Bill Bright. "Astronomers tell us there are over a hundred billion galaxies separated by trillions of light years, and this God, who created it all, became a man: the God/man Jesus of Nazareth. He died on the cross for us, and it is all a gift. It is awesome, that this great, holy, Creator, God of the universe should care." It is so difficult for our limited human minds to embrace the greatness of God and of His ultimate plan. It is difficult to move out of a self-centered existence. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor" (Psalm 8:3-5). Amazing God, turn my inward-looking eyes outward to You. You are interested in all that goes on in my life—my emotions, fears, disappointments, and confusions—and You want to heal me through Christ. Thank you. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 208 - If God Is Good, Why . . . ?

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 If God Is Good, Why … ? Day 208 Grief often brings with it theological questions. Why did God allow this or cause this to happen? Why now? Why to this person? Moral issues often arise out of the cauldron of emotions in grief. A sense of outrage is embedded in the grieving process, especially when children and good people die, sometimes creating an inner demand for justice. Dr. Ray Pritchard says, "There are questions for which answers are hidden in the mind and heart of a loving God. All we can say is this: God has so designed the moral universe that, as the Bible says, the rain falls on the just and the unjust. "We live in a fallen world, a world that's distorted by sin, and ever since sin entered the human race in the Garden of Eden there has been sin, sickness, pain, suffering, and death. So I don't think anyone will be able to know why one child gets cancer, why one marriage breaks up, why one person loses his job and another one is promoted. Sometimes we'll come up with superficial answers, but truly I've discovered that the deeper and more heartrending the question, the harder it is to come up with an answer on a human level." While God does not always give answers to your questions, He always gives Himself. You can focus your attention instead on the faithfulness of God, His comfort, and His promise to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). You can trust Him when you do not have all the answers. "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). Lord God, even though I do not understand why, I know I don't need these answers in order to move on. Your ways and Your thoughts are truly higher than mine. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 207 - Conclusion in God's Hands

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 Conclusion in God’s Hands Day 207 You must trust in the mercy and justice of God. If you leave a matter in His hands, you can trust Him to do what is right. God really does give you important answers, but often not the answers you were expecting. If you trust in Him, He will give you the answers you need. "I have to trust in Him because I don't understand why things have happened, but I know that He holds the future," says Heidi, whose husband was killed. God gives you answers and the greatest answer He ever gave is in His Son Jesus. It is when you have Jesus in your life that you are best equipped to find answers and to find the healing that you need. "I call on the Lord in my distress, and he answers me" (Psalm 120:1). Lord, I will continually call on You, and I will trust You to answer my cries. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755

Day 206 - Only God Knows

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 Only God Knows Day 206 You may have an extra heaviness of heart because you are concerned that your lost loved one did not know Christ and that you will not see him or her in heaven. Remember, no one on earth can know another person's heart or eternal destiny. Only God knows that. Keep a proper perspective as you work through this. Dr. Joseph Stowell says: "The most important thing to remember is that God is fair and just and wise and loving. Whatever He does with your loved one will be fair and wise and just and loving. God cannot deny Himself. You do not know what your loved one did in that last flickering moment of life in the quietness of his or her soul. Just give your worries to God and say, 'God, You are a fair, loving, wise, just God, and my loved one is Yours, and whatever You do with him or her, I know that someday I will praise You for the wisdom of that decision.'" It is through the grace of God that people can receive eternal life. We, as fallen humans, cannot fully understand grace. Grace is an undeserved gift of life from God to man. How fortunate we are to have such a loving God. "Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:21). Loving God, I cannot know the eternal destiny of my loved one for sure, but I do praise You and thank you for Your gift of grace. You have compassion on me, no matter how undeserving I may be. Thank you for this reassurance. Amen. Grieving with Hope This GriefShare-based book contains short, topical chapters addressing issues that grieving people face but are often hesitant to mention to others; it gently guides people to determine whether they're grieving in a way that leads to hope and ultimate healing. Look for Grieving with Hope by Samuel Hodges and Kathy Leonard at a local or online bookstore or at griefshare.org/hope. 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. Don't want these daily emails? Unsubscribe. If you have any problems or concerns, please contact dailyemailsupport@griefshare.org. GriefShare 250 S. Allen Rd. Wake Forest, NC 27587 (800) 395-5755