05/11/21 • Dee Dick

Book Review

Good Grief by Malcolm Duncan  

^{Our HBC Library Corner in the sanctuary}

It was almost 2 years since my beloved husband Keith had died. Having found the 2nd year harder than the first I began to wonder if I was ever going to be able to cope with the aloneness. I was to the point of deciding that I would have to look for some Christian counselling. I am not against this but having had a lot of sorrow over my life I thought, wrongly, that I would cope better than I was. I then saw this book Good Grief advertised and decided I would read it and asked God to speak to me through it.

It took me some time to read and digest it through many tears and soul searching. I have never been so blessed by or marked a book so much before. It made such a difference to me and my wellbeing. In some ways Malcolm Duncan gave me permission to grieve.

Malcolm is someone who has gone through an enormous amount of personal grief and being a Pastor has buried quite a few people. Been alongside many people in grief in a supporting capacity. The recording of the death of Lazarus in John 11 was one of the parts of scripture that was his mainstay.

I could say much about what has helped me but don’t want to spoil it for you but will quote: “We spend our lives holding hands with those we love. When we lose someone we do not want to let them go and we do not know how to do it. Perhaps we do not have to.

By changing our grip and remembering that God is closer to the person that we love than we are, we give them the permission that they need to let us go. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God holds His people tightly in His grip."

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “do not fear, I will help you” Isaiah 41:13

Our God is enough. I can highly recommend this book to anyone going through grief. Remember it can hit any of us at any time. God bless.