“Grief shared is grief diminished.” An insightful statement from Gaylord my wise friend a career funeral director.

Shortly after Jake’s funeral I continued to bump into people grieving over him and feeling terrible for Stacey and I.

People were hurting with us. The splinter of grief was buried deep and they needed help removing it.

Helping others with grief when you yourself are over your head helps everybody involved. Grief shared is truly grief diminished.

Is it easy? Not usually. But it is a healing balm for all involved.

Shortly after the burial of Jake and 2 other loved ones on May 15th 2014 I locked eyes with Kevin at our local hardware store. He was visibly disturbed.

“How are you doing Kevin?” I asked. He responded, “Man, how are you?”

From there we discussed many things about Jake. Panic attacks, depression, family, faith and our shared hope in Jesus Christ and the resurrection.

Our conversation ended with a totally unexpected conclusion. Kevin said to me, “Thanks Mike, I feel so much better.”

And I felt better too. I felt better about Kevin feeling better.

What I learned in that one statement I will never forget.

I knew I had a responsibility to share my grief that the grief of others might be diminished just as Gaylord had said.

A decade later I still pull out the jar of balm quite often. It’s Gods comfort applied to wounds to help diminish pain. I need it, they need it, so let’s use it.

The comforter has come. He is in us and uses bereaved believers to rub in his balm for others.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

May God comfort your hearts.