Coping With Grief Using Expressive Art
- KasSandra
- Sep 9, 2022
- 4 min read
He was numb now. He was lost and confused about where to go and what to do. He didn't even know what to feel. He knew how everyone expected him to feel, act, and think but he just felt....numb. When he first found out he was shocked and filled with disbelief and denial. That slowly progressed to deep pangs of sadness that hit him in ever increasing waves and when he least expected it. When he was alone he cried out to the Lord but He didn't answer. He felt like he was drowning in his emotions and didn't know how to save himself so he bottled it all up inside of him as if they didn't exist. Everyone was asking him if he was okay and he kept telling them that he was alright but he could see in their faces that they didn't believe him. That really angered him. So what if he was lying?? They couldn't do anything to change how he really felt anyway so why couldn't they just leave him alone??
A few days later he was alone and stewing about the wreckage of his life when suddenly he had an idea to write a verse or two about it. He contemplated it for a few minutes, wondering what all he would say and if he felt enough about it to even make the effort. The longer he thought about it the more he realized that he had enough pent-up thoughts and emotions to write a whole album! Laughing sadly to himself he started with his most pressing issue, everyone looking at him expectantly and whispering about him when they thought he couldn't hear them. He knew they were just worried about him but it was still irritating. He found a beat on YouTube, channeled his creative side, and started both writing and free-styling to it. He allowed himself to feel everything again and got lost in the music, thoughts, and emotions flowing through him. Some time later he was emotionally and creatively spent and was surprised to find that he felt better. Logically he knew his problems were still there and still exactly the same but he felt different. He looked over his handy work and was shocked to see how raw and open he was when he was rapping! The Lord whispered to him that this was a gift and he immediately went into prayer to thank the Lord for finally helping him. He talked to the Lord for a few more minutes about his life, using music to express himself, getting help with communicating with other people, and how people were irritating him and felt refreshed and more at ease by the time he closed out his prayer.
He wrote songs, long and short, and prayed almost every day for a week. One day the Holy Spirit encouraged him to share some of them with some relatives and friends and was surprised and pleased when they expressed how real and deep they were! He hesitated but then shared with them that it was rapping and praying that helped him cope with everything that's been happening and how he always feels better after a good rap, prayer, and worship session.
Psalms 34:17 & 18
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
2 Corinthians 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
Lamentations 3:18-36
So I say, “My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.” I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust— there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land, to deny people their rights before the Most High, to deprive them of justice— would not the Lord see such things?
Remember that all forms of art paired with prayer can be used to help you express yourself and cope with life.
May God continue to bless you,
-KasSandra
Comments