My Newest Book: A Student’s Guide to Grief
“Grandpa died,” my mom said when her phone call from Grandma ended. I was a sophomore in high school. After retiring from his career as an assembler of wood-paneled station wagons at the Ford Motor Company, my mom’s father spent every morning working in his garden. One day in May, after returning to the house and eating a small lunch, he lay down for a nap. An hour later, Grandma couldn’t wake him. Her husband of fifty-nine years had suffered a massive heart attack. The news hit me hard. Since my father’s dad died when I was only three years old, I have no memory of him. But my mom’s dad made priceless memories throughout my childhood. Every summer, he took my brothers and me fishing on Cowboy Lake and taught us how to scale, fillet, and fry our catch. Losing Grandpa pained my siblings and me. Still, this didn’t fully prepare us for the following spring.
One year later, a young man murdered my favorite uncle. I still remember where I was standing when my mom told me how Dad and the police found his body. By favorite, I mean Uncle Denny was the uncle we were closest to. We loved all our aunts and uncles, but we had a closer connection with him for two reasons. First, he lived only fifteen minutes from our house, so we saw him more often. Second, his wife died in a motorcycle accident after only one year of marriage, so Uncle Denny found affection and a break from loneliness by coming to our house on major holidays. Every Christmas, for example, he would join us for dinner. Later, after he went home, Mom would pass out the envelopes he had slipped to her privately, each containing a crisp $20 bill. Believe me, to a kid in the 1970s, that was big money! Losing our uncle was painful, but the manner of his death heightened our loss.
No matter how death enters our lives, it’s hard to lose those we love. There is often shock and tears. But there is also comfort from God.
Several years after the deaths of my grandfather and uncle, at the age of nineteen, I came to know Jesus through a home Bible study in the Gospel of John. Since I grew up in a religion that taught salvation by good works and religious rituals, I didn’t understand how God freely offered salvation to me through the finished work of Jesus. I’m forever grateful to the Lord for opening my eyes to my need to repent, to turn from my sin and faith in my good works, and to turn to Christ in humble faith to receive the gracious gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). Later, by sitting under biblical teaching and experiencing God’s grace mediated through His people, I began confidently tapping into the comfort of God in Christ.
A Student’s Guide to Grief, the latest addition to the Track Series from Christian Focus Publications, gently guides high schoolers and college students through biblical passages that provide strength, reassurance, and the promise of God’s eternal love during times of sorrow. Each chapter ends with thought-provoking questions for reflection and discussion, as well as ways to pray to navigate the challenging terrain of grief. This makes this resource perfect for 1–2–1 mentoring or in group settings.
Get it now, at 30% off ($3.49 each) from Cumberland Valley Bible and Books
