Grief Ministry Offers New Workshop on Identity

By John Montgomery, Dwell Grief Ministry

On Wednesday, April 28th at 7:00 pm the Dwell Grief Ministry will offer a 90-minute Zoom workshop called Grief & Identity. This workshop is for those who have progressed through the initial grief following the death of a loved one and who are now searching to answer the question: “Who am I now?

When we lose a loved one, we lose a part of who we are, our lives change. Roles as mother, father, daughter, son, and/or friend are often replaced with new roles such as being both mother and father to a child after the loss of a spouse. Or, being a caretaker of an aging parent after the death of the other parent. 

We also lose the roles the deceased person played in our life. We may lose the “knowledgeable parent” who answered questions regarding child-raising or home repair, or the “compassionate grandmother” who comforted us in times of sorrow, or the “organized spouse” who remembered appointments, birthdays, and anniversaries, or the “intuitive friend” who understood us more than others. 

And often, we see ourselves in a different light. The loss of a loved one can reveal in us a strength, a weakness, and/or an independence we may not have known we had. It can result in discovery of the things we can or cannot do, the things we can endure, and the things we know are true.

Such changes of identity and roles can complicate and add to the confusion of our grieving process. Questions of “who am I now” and “where do I go from here” are all too common. 

The Grief & Identify workshop will offer answers to these and other questions about our identity and our search to find a “new normal” after the death of a loved one. The workshop will remind us that our identity in Christ will never change. In the words of Paul David Tripp: “The experience of grief doesn’t define me. Christ defines me.” But how do we put that into practice?

The workshop will be on Zoom. There is no cost. Here’s what to expect:

  • Video: We will view a 20-minute video with encouraging, practical advice from counselors, pastors, and others who have gone through the grieving process.
  • Discussion: We will break into discussion groups and discuss what we learned from the video. (There’s no pressure to share!)
  • Study articles: There will be available several short readings on how to live with grief and eventually move forward in life.

Please email grief@dwellcc.org to register or to ask additional questions.