The Truth about Mental Health: Growth & Grief

Grief is as much a part of life as victory, and as much a part of growth as learning:

a child must grieve one grade to walk through the door of the next

we must leave one simplified idea behind, in order to integrate larger, better version of that idea

we must mourn the brokenness around us, in order to see the hope ahead of us

Yet, grief isn’t something we readily connect to growth.

Most of us have stood in front of someone grieving and found ourselves without words. The same can be true in our own grief: we find ourselves at a loss, with no answers, and no language for where we are. In our culture, our response to this is to leave others to wrestle with their grief alone rather than misstep with our words and our comfort. Worse, our culture at times expects people to “manage” their grief, as if it were a small business or a spreadsheet of taxes.

People, ourselves included, need to process the losses and struggles of life. We can start by simply being a safe space for individuals to share those losses and struggles.

On today’s podcast episode, I sit down with Michael Newman, an author, pastor, and ministry leader. Michael has wrestled with grief personally and understands the growth grief can bring to our lives, in our relationship with God and also in our individual stories.

Grief isn’t necessarily pretty and it isn’t always cut and dry… but it can be a growth-oriented experience.