When I chose to read this book to review, little did I know I would face the greatest loss and the most painful grief I have ever experienced. My wonderful precious husband died unexpectedly just a month or so after I received it. It is one thing to read a book thinking you will go through loss someday, but it is quite another to read when you are a facing raw grief head on.
Mr. Baggett knows the heartache of personal grief. He writes from his own heart wrenching experience of his intelligent, talented teenage son being drastically changed by schizophrenia.
I have been reading a lot of books on grief since my husband died and this one isn’t like the others. The style of writing allows the reader to apply it to their grief experience, be it the loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of health or finances and more. Instead of focusing on the pain and well-known stages of grief you hear so much about, the author gives you steps (I like to look at them as tools) to work through and overcome your grief.
These are:
Trust God and Rely on Others
Choose Reality Instead of Illusion
Resist Temptation to Get Stuck
Recognize Moments of Grace
Discover New Meaning and Purpose
Under each of these are emotions and experiences you will confront. He gives you scriptures and spiritual insights that allow you to see through the pain that can distort your thoughts and increase your agony.
The author does a wonderful job of illustrating these points with fictional stories of characters facing different types of bereavement. I liked the fact that although each one had a specific circumstance, the information could be easily applied to any loss.
At the end of each chapter are scriptures and questions to help you apply the truths to your life and situation. I appreciated the fact there were lots of scriptural references. God’s Word is our only answer to any problem. Grief was viewed from a spiritual stand point, not just a physical and emotional one. As a very new widow, I found this book helpful, encouraging, and comforting.
I received this book free from Kregel Publications. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are