Sailing the seas of grief:

I titled todays blog post, sailing the seas of grief. I chose this title because this is just what the journey of grief is to so many. I sat down to blog today and realized I have entered my 7th year on the seas of grief. The different waters of grief are so many, some days the waters seem smooth and all the sudden a wave hits. It’s not so much the smooth waters that are difficult, it is the waves. And each of you that are dealing with loss of someone you love know exactly what I am talking about. How do we handle the waves? We cant control when they come and how high they swell. So we must learn to ride them out.

The sudden waves often come in hard and quickly and you spend some time crying and thinking about the one you have lost, maybe even looking at a picture or watching a video of them and crying a little more.

Then there are the waves you can see coming and you know that wave is one I am going to have to set my sail and ride out. These are the holiday waves and the birthday waves. Spending holidays and birthdays without the ones you love are very hard to endure. We have all in the United States just came through the biggest holiday season that we celebrate. We somehow all have to endure the seas of the holidays. And many times it is changing the course of your sail so you can continue on in a new direction that isn’t so rough.

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In a portion of Scripture in Psalms 107:23-32 describes; people going down to the sea in ships, and experiencing the power of God amidst the storms and rough waters, ultimately praising Him for bringing them safely to shore.

I want to point out three important points you will find in this portion of Scripture, 1) God’s power over the sea 2) Human vulnerability at sea 3) Praise for deliverance.

How can we begin to apply this to our time sailing the seas of grief? We must know that God has all power to lead us and help us through every moment of our grief. He understands your grieving heart and wants to help you navigate through each moment.

We must be vulnerable with our grief and share it with Him and others that we can trust walking alongside of us. They may not fully understand what you are internally facing but they can and will be the hands & feet of Jesus to you. Finding someone that has shared the same type of loss helps you be more vulnerable in your grief.

Lastly, praise for deliverance. That looks like praising Him each wave we make it through. Whether you realize it or not you are sailing the seas of grief because Jesus is sailing them along with you. There’s a very good song in the Christian music genre called ( Praise you in the storm) by Casting Crowns. I suggest listening to this song after you finish reading this blog. It may just become your new favorite song for sailing the seas of grief.

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I personally have a wave coming my way across the sea, It is one I see and know is coming. I am entering the birthdays of my two girls. This wave for me is always the roughest and the highest wave to ride. I must set my sail now to endure the wave. I want to encourage each of you, we all have to make it through the waves of birthdays in grief.

Try to make this wave a time of remembering for yourself in such a way that you can become so thankful for all the birthdays you did share with that one you love so dearly. Ride the wave the way you must, theres not a formula for making it through the waves. Celebrate that person in a way that is personal to you. Celebrate their time on earth in a way that is personal to you.

As I enter my 7th year of cemetary time, I have seen so many remembering and celebrating their loved ones on what once was a day of great celebration. I always know when I see a grave that has just had what once was their earthly birthday. The balloons and flowers always give it away.

Let’s keep sailing all who are sailing the seas of grief.

Follow me as I follow Him,

Tracey Lynn