A Faith That Works When Life Doesn’t: Part 1Sample

Why You Need to Share Your Grief with Others

When facing trials, your emotional health needs to be a top priority. Feelings are neither good nor bad—they’re just emotions. But they need to be expressed appropriately to God and to a trusted friend. The Bible says, “Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 NIV).

You don't have to share your feelings with everybody, but you do need to have one person you can confide in. Someone you can go to and say, "Hey, can I just tell you how I'm really feeling right now?" This is someone who will listen, share in your pain and frustration, and then help you move forward.

Paul gives a great example of sharing feelings instead of stuffing them in. He writes, “My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain” (2 Corinthians 1:8 CEV).

If Paul, the greatest Christian who ever lived other than Jesus Christ himself, could be gut-level honest about what he was going through, then we can, too.

Sharing your problems includes sharing your frustrations, fears, and feelings. We are living in unprecedented times, and everyone has felt the stress of the pandemic. Many of us have also experienced losses and missed opportunities due to the upheaval in the world. You may have missed a graduation, the funeral of a loved one, a wedding, or the birth of a grandchild.

You need to grieve those losses—and not just in private. Grief is a good, healthy thing. It’s how we transition. Sharing your grief with others keeps you from isolation and loneliness and will remind you of God’s provision.

God created us to need each other! He designed us to share our feelings with others. But he also wants us to share our feelings with him: “The LORD is there to rescue all who are discouraged and have given up hope. The LORD's people may suffer a lot, but he will always bring them safely through” (Psalm 34:18-19 CEV).

Sharing your feelings with others may not come naturally to you. But it is the only way to be emotionally healthy. Find that person you trust to help you process what you’re experiencing, and then be that friend to someone else.

Talk It Over

• What are some ways you can communicate your grief and other feelings with a friend? What are some ways to process that?
• Why do you think God wants you to talk about your feelings, frustrations, and fears with other people and not just with him? Why did he create you to need other people?
• If you think there’s no one who needs you to be this kind of friend to them, ask God to help you become more aware of other people’s struggles.

This devotional © 2021 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.