There comes a time in the grief journey when the pain no longer hollers but whispers—when the ache remains, but so does the calling.
This is the sacred space of “grieving forward.”
Grief is not a destination. It’s not the final stop.
It is a passage—a painful one—but a pathway nonetheless.
God never asks you to forget your loss.
But He does invite you to live beyond it.
You Are Still Here for a Reason
Survivor’s guilt is real.
When you lose someone, especially suddenly, there’s often a gnawing question:
“Why am I still here?”
You may feel like your life ended when theirs did.
But beloved, if breath is still in your lungs, purpose still beats in your chest.
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV
You are not forgotten. You are not buried beneath your pain.
You are planted in a season that will bloom again.
What It Means to Grieve Forward
Grieving forward is not denying your loss.
It’s not replacing the person, or erasing the memory.
It is permission to live again, to love again, to laugh again—even while healing.
You may still cry.
You may still feel the sting of anniversaries, the pang of memories, the ache of what will never be.
But you will also begin to feel the warmth of possibility.
Grieving forward is embracing the truth that God’s plan didn’t end when your heart broke.
He is the God of resurrection—even for the dreams and destinies that grief tried to bury.
Examples of Grieving Forward
Naomi, after the loss of her husband and sons, returned to Bethlehem bitter. But Ruth’s loyalty and Boaz’s kindness reminded her that God still had a future for her family (Ruth 4). David, after losing his child, rose from fasting, worshiped God, and moved forward, eventually fathering Solomon, the heir to the throne (2 Samuel 12:20-24). Mary Magdalene, though weeping at the empty tomb, encountered the risen Christ and became the first to proclaim the resurrection (John 20:16-18).
These weren’t denials of grief. They were testimonies of purpose beyond the pain.
Let the Tears Water the Ground You’re Walking Into
You don’t dishonor the dead by living.
You honor them when you take the lessons they left you and apply them to the life God preserved in you.
Even in grief, you are called:
To write.
To teach.
To sing.
To serve.
To grow.
To love.
To hope.
God has more.
He’s not done writing your story.
Scripture Reflections
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11 KJV “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.” — Psalm 37:24 KJV “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?” — Isaiah 43:19 KJV
Prayer to Embrace the Future
Father, I thank You because I know You hear me. Let Your will be done.
Thank You for preserving my life, even when I thought I could not survive my loss.
Teach me to live again—fully, honestly, purposefully.
I surrender the weight of yesterday, and I open my heart to the grace of today.
Let me walk forward without guilt, regret, or fear.
Use my brokenness to build something beautiful for Your glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Selah Reflection
What dreams did you bury with your loss? What does moving forward look like for you—emotionally, spiritually, and practically? Are you willing to give yourself permission to live again?
Grief may shape you, but it does not define you.
The breaking was not the end.
It was the beginning of something God will still use.
Selah Moment with Dr. Althea Winifred
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