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As much as one might want to rush past grief after loss, it’s important to go through the process of grieving. The grief process is as complex and hard to pin down as our emotions often are. Various people have tried to break it down into numbered steps, as if the ordering of the process will bring structure to our chaotic and overwhelming grief experiences. Different Understandings of the Grief Process One model breaks down grief into five stages a grieving person may experience: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Another identifies seven steps, adding shock, and processing or testing into the mix. Still, other lists combine things like shock and denial, pain and guilt, anger and bargaining, depression, reflection and loneliness, the upward turn, reconstruction and working through, then acceptance and hope. Adding to the complexity of the grief process, any professional will tell you that grief does not follow these stages in a rigid or linear order. There is also no definitive timeline for grieving, and your symptoms can vary in their intensity and duration. Since people grieve in their own ways, you may not even experience every one of these stages, or you may find yourself cycling around through certain stages repeatedly. Scripture and the Grief Process Grieving a significant loss can completely uproot your sense of security and joy. It can feel necessary to regain control by understanding and working through the process to get through it and to the other side. But does the Bible add anything to our understanding of these different aspects of the grief process? While these various breakdowns of the different phases of grief help us understand the kinds of emotions you may experience, the Bible doesn’t specifically address the different stages and phases of grieving. However, the Bible remains relevant to our human condition, adding helpful ideas to our understanding of grief in this world. [...]