5 Days of Being Comforted by GodSample

Compartmentalizing Grief

While we can be so grateful God continues to heal our broken hearts, there are times when the heaviness and brokenness is still there if we dare to look deep within. It’s churning away­ like slow-burning embers after a horrific fire. While the flames have been put out, significant damage has been done because the loss and destruction remain underneath. One of the ways we may deal with the loss is by placing parts of our grief in little compartments in our minds. It’s like a waffle. We may only want to deal with what’s in one waffle square before we jump to another. While we need to do the necessary grief work in order to heal, sometimes compartmentalizing our sorrow isn’t such a bad thing. At specific points on this journey, it’s a form of self-preservation.

It may seem disenchanting to realize that these feelings of grief continue to crop up even years later, but in reality, it just makes us human. Grief is never one-and-done. When you’re ready, take a moment and look at the road behind you. Notice all the terrain you’ve covered and be proud of how far you’ve come! All the large boulders and potholes encountered in the early days, when you could barely climb out or around them, are behind you. If you find you’re compartmentalizing your grief, it’s OK. No matter where you are on this journey, give yourself credit for every step it took to get here. It’s all progress . . .one step, one moment, one breath at a time.

Heavenly Father, thank You for continuing to pour out Your love, Your grace, and Your strength upon me so that I may be all that You want me to be. Help me to see how far I’ve come instead of how far I’ve yet to go.