Tips#2

Written by cycleguy on September 25th, 2018

As promised (I know you were waiting with baited breath), I want to continue my posts on basically what to say and what not to say to a person who is hurting or grieving. These are adapted from the book by Dave Furman called Being There. The first three were in this post and while I’m going to list them here, you can check out a further explanation by checking out the post.

#1. Don’t Be the Fix-It Person.

#2. Don’t Play the Comparison Game.

#3. Don’t Make it Their Identity.

#4. Don’t Promise Deliverance Now. This is really huge right now in the religious world. False teachers/cult leaders/prosperity teachers and other heretical personalities are promising deliverance. You know how it works. They come to you saying, “I just know you are going to be healed. God has told me He will do that.” They might even tell you to think positive. Think good thoughts, happy thoughts. Get rid of all negativity. Kum-ba-yah and all that other rot.  IMHO you are not there to be their personal faith guru or their guarantor of God’s healing power. I get so sick of heretics making false claims of healing, getting peoples’ hopes up only to watch them and their faith come crashing down because “God didn’t come through.” I do like what the author says is key to this thought: “Instead of promising deliverance in this life, point them to God’s presence and a future hope that will never let them down.” (p.119)

#5. Don’t Encourage Them to Just “Move On.” You find this in the more “I’m going to take you to the good side by constantly telling you to leave all your troubles behind” kind of person.  That approach seems so calloused if you ask me.  This person is literally telling the hurting person his/her life has been on hold for way too long and it is time get over it.  Now…granted there is a fine line between wallowing in your pity and grieving appropriately. Grieving is so essential, but so is adequate grieving. When we, by our words or actions, tell people it is high time they got over their grieving, we are essentially saying, “I’m tired of dealing with this issue with you.”  One of the things I keep telling myself is people grieve differently and at different speeds. Do I think some people “milk” it? Sure. But, at the same time, who am I to think someone “ought to be over it by now”?

Well, I’m sorry this has gotten so long. I didn’t think I had this much in me. 🙂 Anyway, I’ll post some more tips in another day or two. I invite you back for another visit. And feel free to share this if you think it will help someone.

 

 

4 Comments so far ↓

  1. When I lost my husband, John, years ago, I understood that my grief was like no one else’s. Since that time, I’ve definitely respected others’ need to feel what they feel. They will move on when they are ready.
    Blessings, Bill, and thanks for the additional tips!

  2. Linda Stoll says:

    Oh this is good stuff, Bill. We’ve all heard stories about the discouraging, insensitive remarks people have lobbed as they’ve tried unsuccessfully to respond to another’s grief.

    Or the endless telling of our own sagas which does nothing but make us look self-absorbed and clueless.

    I don’t think we’re mean spirited, I just think that many of us are quite uncomfortable around hurt and pain and don’t quite know what to do with it.

    Often, sitting quietly and saying nothing is the best response.

  3. Kari Scare says:

    Good tips. Using them while ministering to a friend who recently lost her daughter to a drug overdose. Daughter was 29.