Pastor Jeeva Sam has helped hundreds of families on their grief journey. He has over 35+ years of active congregational ministry before retiring in 2017. Susan is a spiritual person and not a religious one, but when she saw her husband dying, she really struggled with her relationship with God. Some of the most hurtful things that were said to her were from good-intentioned Christians. Pastor Jeeva shares his life experience on how to continue to have a strong relationship with God and what to say/do if you have a grieving friend.

Key Takeaways:

• What difference does faith make when you're going through a terminal illness?
• When people ask Pastor Jeeva why is God doing this, he has a unique way of looking at it/framing it.
• Life is not fair but God is good.
• When being diagnosed with a terminal illness, people feel like they've been abandoned by God.
• You sometimes see people praising God for healing someone from cancer or another illness. However, when it doesn't happen to you, you can feel forsaken.
• Pastor Jeeva shares a story about a friend of his, was a big believer, but still ended up passing away.
• Ask God to please open your heart, your mind, and your eyes, so that when the answers do come, you can see them.
• Some of the most hurtful things that were said to Susan came from Christians.
• Pastor Jeeva shares how different ways people express their faith can be hurtful.
• You don't have to defend God based on life's actions and circumstances.
• It can be as simple as calling someone up and asking how they're doing. You don't need to give your advice.
• Being with someone is better than what you have to say.
• Give people the space to mourn.
• What do you do when you're struggling with your spirituality?

Resources:

Thesams.ca