Читать книгу Grief - Jody Neufeld - Страница 6

As I write these words it has been just ten years since the beginning of a ‘season’ in my life that truly brought me to my knees. My father died. I went through divorce after nearly 20 years of marriage. My youngest son, James (then 12 years old), was diagnosed with cancer. My mother died. Hurricane Ivan blew through my home town of Pensacola, Florida causing us to flee our mobile home. James died less than a week later.

“How do you go on?” became a frequent question and was no longer a point of curriculum that I taught as a teacher in the Church and as an RN educator.

Grief is a journey. While this is no surprise to anyone seeking answers by picking up this book, I pray that readers may discover what I am discovering: I go on because I have Hope in a tangible, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. This book is brought together by Christians who have been through the fire of adversity and because Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, is big enough to take on every question and emotion that I have thrown at Him. He has held me through nights and days of tears. He has stood there and looked me square in the eye when I have hurled my anger and “WHY?!!” in His face. He has even watched me turn away in despair. I know He watched because He was looking with arms outstretched when I turned back around.

Each chapter is titled with the intent that you can open the book to wherever you are in your journey. Your journey and my journey are individually different in that we arrive at places in different sequence. I pray that you may find hands within the chapters that can help you connect with One who will walk with you through each phase of your journey. The help is real and not just a bunch of words. There are no shortcuts in this journey of grief. Oh, how I have wished that there were! As I have gone through each piece of my journey I can say that I did learn something of ‘good’ and worth that has made me better and more useful today.

May our Lord bless you with His wisdom and knowledge and extravagant love, in Jesus’ name I pray.

– Jody Neufeld