The Grief You Don’t See Coming

Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Some grief is loud — the kind everyone sees. But some grief is quiet. It tucks itself behind busyness or caretaking or “I’m fine.” It hides under overspending, irritation, overeating, obsessing, scrolling, avoiding silence… and we don’t call it grief because we think grief is supposed to look a certain way.

But your heart knows the truth. Loss is loss.
And hidden grief is still grief.

The beautiful thing is that Jesus doesn’t wait for you to label it before He meets you in it. He is already close — right in the confusion, the overreactions, the unexplained sadness, the exhaustion that feels heavier than it should. You don’t have to figure it out first. You don’t have to fix yourself before coming to Him.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is pause long enough to ask, “Lord, what have I lost that I haven’t given You?”

And when He brings something to mind, you can trust Him with it. He is gentle. He is patient. And He heals what we’re finally willing to hand over.

Ask Yourself

1. What loss have I never allowed myself to name?
2. Where do I see grief showing up in my behavior?
3. What step could help me move toward healing my hurt?