The Life Recovery Workbook for Grief

Book excerpt: Begin the journey of recovery from grief! Let’s start now on a twelve-step path that will lead us out of the death grip of grief into the restoration of life. In the Life Recovery Workbook for Grief, discover real-life stories of fellow travelers, great questions for individual or group discussion, and a Bible-centered approach to freedom. Twelve beautiful blessings await after our hard work on the journey of recovery from grief. Step 1: Open our hearts to God’s power to free us from the grip of grief. “Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.” (Psalm 6:2) Step 2: Allow God to join us in the powerful emotions of grief. “My heart is heavy with grief. Weep for me, for I wither away.” (Isaiah 24:16) Step 3: Rest in God’s care and help to take our loss and grief. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Step 4: Gain a true picture of how God sees us as we grieve. “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10) Step 5: Experience the healing that begins with confession. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.” (1 John 1:9) Step 6: Get ready for repentance and movement through our grief. “Would you like to get well?” (John 5:6) Step 7: Allow God’s Spirit to heal our hearts from grief. “I will comfort those who mourn.” (Isaiah 57:18) Step 8: Create a list of people our grief may have adversely affected. “Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31) Step 9: Restore relationships damaged by our sins and experience a clean slate. “Go and be reconciled to that person.” (Matthew 5:24) Step 10: Review daily the defects in us that hinder healthy life with God and others. “Be careful not to fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Step 11: Grow closer to God through prayer and meditation. “The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.” (Lamentations 3:25) Step 12: Bless others with the blessing of healing from grief. “Gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path.” (Galatians 6:1) STEPHEN ARTERBURN is the founder of New Life Ministries—the nation’s largest faith-based broadcast, counseling, and treatment ministry—and host of the nationally syndicated New Life Live! daily radio program. He is a Gold Medallion–winning author and co-editor of The Life Recovery Bible. DAVID STOOP, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of The Center for Family Therapy in Newport Beach, California. He also serves on the executive board of the American Association of Christian Counselors. David is a Gold Medallion–winning author and co-editor of The Life Recovery Bible.