God’s Healing for Life’s Losses: How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting
A Portrait of Your Healing Journey
Countdown to God’s Healing: I’m excited to announce that BMH Books will release my fifth book soon (in April 2010). To read a sample section of God’s Healing for Life’s Losses: How to Find Hope When You’re Hurting click here.
To pre-order your autographed copy at 30% off, visit here. 
As we countdown to the release, I’ll be sharing periodic excerpts, such as today’s post: A Portrait of Your Healing Journey.
The Way of the World: Is This All There Is?
How do we move from suffering to creative suffering? How do we suffer face-to-face with God rather than turning our backs on God during suffering? How do we find hope when we’re hurting?
We have two basic options. We can turn to the world’s way. Or we can follow the way of God’s Word.
Students of human grief have developed various models that track typical grief responses. Swiss-born psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in her book On Death and Dying, popularized a five-stage model of grieving based upon her research into how terminally ill persons respond to the news of their terminal illness. Her five stages have since been used worldwide to describe all grief responses. While her research describes the typical response, they can’t begin to capture or address whether this is God’s designed response or desired plan for our healing journey.
The Way of the Word: All We Need for Life and Godliness
Believing in the sufficiency of Scripture, we will focus on a revelation-based model. The biblical approach to grieving and growing identifies eight scriptural “stages” in our responses to life’s losses. God’s way equips us to move through hurt to hope in Christ—from grieving to growing.
The first four stages involve what we call sustaining in suffering, which we will explore in chapters two through five. The second four stages relate to healing in suffering, which we will explore in chapters six through nine.
Please always remember that these “stages” are a relational process, not sequential steps. Grieving and growing is not a neat, nice package. It isn’t a tidy procedure. Grieving and growing is messy because life is messy. Moving through hurt to hope is a two-steps-forward, one-step-backwards endeavor. We don’t “conquer a stage” and never return to it.
Rather than picturing a linear, step-by-step route, imagine a three dimensional maze with many possible paths, frequent detours, backtracking, and even the ability to reside in more than one “stage” at the same time. However, positive movement is possible. In fact, it is promised. You can find God’s healing for your losses. You can find hope in your hurt.
Join the Journey
Whatever your grieving experience has been like up to this point, don’t quit. Don’t give up. Join the journey.
Experience the biblical reality that it’s normal to hurt and necessary to grieve. Learn how to move from denial to personal honesty (candor), from anger to honesty with God (complaint), from bargaining to asking God for help (crying out), and from depression to receiving God’s help (comfort).
Stay on the path. Experience the biblical reality that it’s possible to hope and supernatural to grow. Learn how to move from regrouping to trusting with faith (waiting on God), from deadening to groaning with hope (wailing to God), from despair to perceiving with grace (weaving in God’s truth), and from digging cisterns to engaging with love (worshipping God and ministering to others).
God truly does provide you with everything you need for life and godliness. Through the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God, you have all you need for your healing journey.
Our Healing Journey
Here’s an overview portrait of the healing journey we’ll take together. When life’s losses invade your world, learn how to face suffering face-to-face with God. Learn how to journey:
From Denial to Candor: Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
From Anger to Complaint: A Lament for Your Loss
From Bargaining to Crying Out to God: I Surrender All
From Depression to Comfort: God Comes
From Regrouping to Waiting: When God Says “Not Yet”
From Deadening to Wailing: Pregnant with Hope
From Despairing to Weaving: Spiritual Mathematics
From Digging Cisterns to Worshipping: Finding God
Join the Conversation
How have you journeyed with God from suffering to healing hope?
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