Grief - What’s It Like?

How have you dealt with grief?

It’s a real thing. A person has to live it, walk through it, feel it. I’ve learned that when the relationship was intimate and close, the grief goes deep. If not, it doesn’t.

It usually starts with a numb feeling. It’s hard to function, hard to be normal. Everything feels surreal. You may be surrounded by people, but still feel completely alone.

Grief is like an ache, and that ache sinks in. It’s a unique kind of loneliness, and on some days, it stings. Over time, that sting can grow into a deeper sorrow, the kind that lingers and wears you down.

If you are not careful, you can start questioning things, your purpose, your identity, your future. You find yourself hanging somewhere between the past and whatever life is supposed to be now.

Grief is a weird mix of good and bad days, internally and externally. And it’s not uncommon to feel the pressure to “feel better” before you actually do. If the relationship was close, the weight of their absence is heavy. The void is real.

It just takes time. Time to find peace. Time to find purpose again.

Honestly? I don’t think grief ever fully leaves. In my opinion, it becomes part of you. You carry sorrow and strength at the same time. It’s strange. But it’s real.

Grief doesn’t follow a timeline or neat stages, even though those stages are often talked about. It changes shape, but it never fully disappears. You don’t move on—you move forward. Love and loss become intertwined.

They say the stages of grief are:

Denial – “This can’t be happening.”

Anger – “Why did this happen?”

Bargaining – “If only... God, if You had just…”

Depression – “What’s the point?”

Acceptance – “It’s going to be okay. This is not home.”

But truth is—grief doesn’t end. It just changes.

You don’t get over it. You grow around it. You learn to walk with a limp. But God walks with you.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.” (Psalm 34:18 NCV)

I know that Bible verses don’t heal the ache, but if we truly believe this world isn’t our home, and heaven is, it helps us see the bigger story.

There is no final destination here on earth. We’re travelers. Messengers. We’re on a journey to the next place, eternity.

That truth helps us hold this life a little more loosely. Because one day, we will have to let go. That’s just the truth.

“We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.” (Philippians 3:20 NCV)

“Our lives are like a mist that appears for a short time and then disappears.” (James 4:14 NCV)

GOD, help my friends who grieve. Help us see life as a journey. Help us to enjoy it, but not grip it too tightly. Because one day, we’re going to have to let go. And when we do, please help us. IJNIP ♥️