We all grieve in our own ways, with our own timing. What fits one person, won’t fit another. We need to allow ourselves the time we need. If we find our grief paralyzing us from living our life, however, we might need to seek help. Even in the midst of grief, if we look for it, we can find hope. The hope Christ helps us to travel into a new day. Both grief and hope changes who we are.

If it’s so important for pastors to have relationships with their church members; is it just as critical for church members (along with the pastor) to build strong positive relationships with community members? I’ve been thinking this needs to be a much higher priority than what I’m usually seeing in our United Methodist churches.