𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, “𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐈 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭,” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, “𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰.”

Over the years, through my work in bereavement ministry, I have had the privilege of walking alongside many people as they navigate the painful and unpredictable journey of grief.

In grief, people often want to comfort us but struggle to know what to say. Sometimes we hear, “I know how you feel”, words that are usually offered with love, but grief is deeply personal.

No two relationships are exactly alike.

No two losses are exactly alike.

And no two people experience grief in quite the same way.

So when another person says, “I know how you feel,” part of us may quietly wonder: Do you really know how I feel?

But when God says, “I know,” it feels different.

An anonymous reflection I recently read on grief continues to resonate deeply with me and brought comfort in my own grief journey. It invites us to imagine sitting with the Lord and sharing the pain of losing someone we love:

“I said, ‘God, I hurt.’ And He said, ‘I know.’

I said, ‘God, I cry a lot.’ And He said, ‘That is why I gave you tears.’

I said, ‘God, life is so hard now.’ And He said, ‘That is why I gave you loved ones to lean on.’

I said, ‘God, my loved one has died.’ And He said, ‘So did mine.’

I said, ‘God, it is such a painful loss.’ And He said, ‘I know. I saw mine nailed to a cross.’

I said, ‘God, but your loved one lives on.’ And He said, ‘So too does your loved one live on with me eternally in heaven.’

I said, ‘But God, it still hurts.’ And He said, ‘I know it hurts, but I am here for you and will walk with you.’”

One of the deepest consolations of faith is knowing that God does not simply see our pain from a distance — He enters directly into it as Psalm 34 reminds us:

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

Scripture does not promise that God will immediately remove our grief or explain why our loss happened. It says He will be with us.

And perhaps that is what a grieving heart needs most — not always an answer, but a presence. In my own journey with loss, and in accompanying others through theirs, I continue to learn that grief is not something we simply “get over.” We learn, slowly, how to carry our loss differently.

And as people of faith, we carry it with one additional source of hope:

We do not carry it alone.

Maybe that is the invitation for us today — not to rush grief or pretend the hurt is gone, but to allow ourselves to be met within it.

And perhaps, in the quiet, we may hear God whisper: “I know.”

And then: “I am here.”

Wishing my clients, fellow coaches, and friends the gift of God’s abundant blessings,

Dr. K ❤️🙏🏼😎

#GriefSupport#SpiritualCoaching#ExecutiveCoaching#CareerCoaching