5. Grieve.
Now here is the time to break down, sob, and become incoherent.
Let it all out. Grieve with those around you. Come together with those you love. You don’t need to exchange words. Just be there together in the pain of the moment. Know that pain is only temporary, even though it’s also very real.
This is where healing begins.
A member of the pastoral team at my church was reflecting on the previous weekend and everything that had tragically transpired with our friends. And she said, “After Sunday, it was so good not to need to be anything to anyone, but to be alone, and to grieve.”
We needed that.
We had been working so hard to communicate all the necessary information to everyone. We had been planning our Sunday services to compassionately care for our community in this time of grief. We had counseled people, listened to them, hugged them when they sobbed.
God provided strength when we needed it.
When we’re needed to be strong, by God’s grace, we can be strong. But there comes a time when we can be weak. There comes a time when we ourselves need to grieve.
Be Present.
I might not know much about how to respond well when crisis hits a community. But I know that the most important thing is to be present. Be there when you are needed. Depend on God because you need him. Lean on one another as Jesus lifts us up.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
