Grief

God heals through time. It’s true: time heals. The loss of a loved one is a kind of emotional amputation. A real part of you is gone, and it is hard to get used to that idea. We have read of people, for example, who have had a leg amputated, but still feel an itch in the foot that is no longer there. The brain has not adapted to the fact that the leg and foot are gone. In time, the brain does seem to adapt, but this does not occur immediately. It is a slow process; it takes time. In like manner, the emotional amputation in the grief process takes time.

A key to understanding the grief process is to remember that grief is a journey, a pilgrimage—something we “pass through.” The psalmist spoke of “going through the valley of the shadow.” Jesus spoke of the strength that comes from “going through mourning.” Grief is a journey, and it takes time to make the pilgrimage.”

—James W. Moore, When Grief Breaks Your Heart