My husband has mentioned once that he regrets not taking more counseling classes when we were in seminary. One of the hardest parts of his ministry is looking into a church member's eyes and giving him or her hope, in spite of the heartbreaking pain he/she has experienced.
. This concise book is packed with hope for those who are hurting.The highlight of this book for me was the explanation of "Biblical Sufferology" (chart on pg 10). The four stages of grief- denial, anger, bargaining, depression- are contrasted with the biblical grief response- candor, complaint, cry, comfort. Kellemen writes, "We have two basic options. We can turn to the world's way. Or we can follow the way of God's Word" (16). God's Word is where we find hope!
Dr. Kellemen includes the biblical stories of Joseph, Job, the Shunammite woman, Jacob, and verse from Psalms to illustrate the stages of grief and healing we see in the Bible. He also uses modern examples to help the reader realize he's not the only one who has overcome loss. He includes questions and journal writing prompts to help readers personalize the advice.
The end of the journey does not happen when life is perfect, but when the suffering person worships God. Kellemen writes, "Suffering's ultimate goal is worship: exalting and enjoying God as our Spring of Living Water--our only satisfaction and our greatest joy" (101).
This entire book can be summed up in the following quote- "God truly does provide you with everything you need for life and godliness. Through the Word of God, the Spirit of God, and the people of God, you have all you need for your healing journey" (19).
Thank you Dr. Kellemen for this gift to help those who are hurting.
4 comments:
I think today you wrote this just for me! I will make a choice to worship Him no matter what my circumstance is! Thank you for writing this so beautifullly
It's wonderful that you're interested in helping people deal with loss. This author makes an interesting contrast between psychology's stages of loss and Biblical "Sufferology."
I absolutely agree! In my experience it's the grieving itself that does the healing and brings hope. The old adage is true, "the only way out is through." We must learn to "feel the pain" and that takes the support of at least one empathetic person. So many people try to repress the pain of loss, and they end up clinically depressed.
Sounds strange, but I've become an advocate of grief! True grief is a choice, and it's the BIG pain that heals all the others.
Scripture says "Go there."
Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure." (Eccl 7:3-4)
Good topic Sandra! ღ
Thanks for sharing this review. This definitely looks like a book that would be so useful to so many believers who find themselves in counseling situations. Your last quote brought to mind one of my favorite Scriptures in 2 Peter: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3
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