COVID-19 restrictions have turned our lives upside down, altering our well laid plans.  From graduations, weddings, funerals, holidays, to little league we have had to give up, let go of and relinquish plans to celebrate milestones, bid farewell to loved ones and patiently wait for the day when we are given permission to restart activities.

We’ve become creative with finding some alternatives, like drive by birthdays and standing outside the windows of loved ones.  But loss is still loss and it’s okay to be disappointed, to lament on what wasn’t and to grieve what might have been.

Let Yourself be Disappointed

Part of grieving is accepting the reality of the situation, including unmet expectations and the loss of a shared experience.  None of us will be able to turn back time to recapture lost moments.  Ministry programming and outreach events that you’ve invested hours of hard work and resources into may just need to be stored for now.  While you do need to embrace the now, you also need to allow yourself to be disappointed.

Lament

This involves expressing loss.  It might be a poem, painting, journal entry, song, rant or some means to expressing your feelings of loss.  There’s an entire book in the Bible named for it and it’s a healthy thing to do.

Celebrate the Main Thing

For every occasion and event there is a purpose.  A wedding celebrates a marriage, a funeral remembers a life, a graduation marks a milestone of educational achievement, a community carnival is a way of presenting God’s love.  Find new ways to celebrate the main thing.  Be creative, be simple, be intentional and be thankful.

What are you grieving?  What do you need to grieve?

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