Confessions of a Grieving Christian

by Zig Ziglar

The author recounts how he dealt with the death of his eldest daughter, and offers advice on accepting loss and finding consolation in one's faith

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Christianity, Grief, Self Help, Spirituality, Religion

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Zig Ziglar was a motivational teacher and trainer who traveled the world over, delivering his messages of humor, hope, and encouragement. As a talented author and speaker, he had international appeal that transcended every color, culture, and career. Recognized by his peers as the quintessential motivational genius of our times, Zig Ziglar had a unique delivery style and powerful messages that earned him many honors. Today he is considered one of the most versatile authorities on the science of human potential. Ten of his twenty-eight books have been on bestseller lists, and his titles have been translated into more than thirty-eight languages and dialects. He was a committed family man, a dedicated patriot, and an active church member. Zig lived in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Jean.

Reviews

[Stephanie Weisgerber · Rating 2 out of 5]

After losing both my parents to cancer at age 21 and 31, I have struggled with my grief for many years. I’m a Christian and have a strong faith in God. I decided it was time to read a book on the subject of grief and chose Zig Ziglar due to his reputation for being a motivational speaker. I am left very disappointed after reading this book. I rarely “struggle” to finish a book, but I breathed a huge sigh of relief after finishing this one.
I found this book to be extremely redundant as Zig constantly referred back to many personal memories with his saintly daughter over the years. His sharing these were sweet but peppered throughout every chapter caused him to lose his point easily. His thoughts and themes were somewhat disorganized and I couldn’t glean any real advice or scriptural truths to help me personally. He wrote an imaginary letter to himself from his daughter and shared it in the book which left this reader questioning him. His frequent use of the nickname “The Redhead” when referring to his wife really annoyed me and was not endearing. It became more and more obvious as the book drones on about his affluent lifestyle which sadly most people cannot relate to. His buying Susan her first pony...buying her a brand new Pontiac GTO for her when she graduated high school...his family resting and grieving at their lake house for holidays....his golf outings and country club lunches...relationships with celebrities...ok Zig we get the picture. I guess he gets points for his apt title...the book was filled with his heartfelt confessions. I would not recommend this book to anyone truly grieving. People need the comfort of someone else relating to him or her and Ziglar was not able to achieve relatability on most levels with his braggy and unrealistic personal life.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zig wrote this while grieving his 46-year-old daughter who died after a relatively short illness. I agreed with some of his points and could relate. On some others, his theology was questionable, if not blatantly incorrect.

And I'm sorry, but referring to his wife as "The Redhead" over and over wasn't endearing, to me it was annoying.

[Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I have read on the subject of grief. Anyone who loses a child should read this one.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uber Evangelical and sermony, lots and lots of scripture. Includes some signs beyond the grave, so a little woo woo on that front. Gets better when he gives advice about grieving. I don't want to be irreverent about his grief, but he says GRIEF stands for God's Relief in Eternal Fellowship, and that kind of sums up the flavor of the book. He also says there is a time to stop crying and I object to this as a point of grief dogma. He has some good advice for recognizing anniversaries, holidays, recurring grief.

[J.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part memoir, part discipleship with a lot of stories of his daughter interwoven throughout. I think if I had read it when it first came out, I would rate it higher. I think for the dearth of books of grieving available now, there are more options that are so remembrance specific. Personally I prefer Kubler-Ross' work. I think writing this book was very cathartic for Ziglar, but like he says we all grieve in different ways.

[Lisa Easton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one is the best books that I read after the loss of my son!! I highly recommend it!! It was a great help in my journey of healing!!

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable

[Lynda Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of long and surprisingly honest story of being deep in the grief of loss and still believing in the love of God.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never read a Christian self-help book, but I really enjoyed it. Faith is such a big part of my life, that to read a self-help book that is not based around God, is not really a self-help book at all. Zig gives a lot of helpful advice, probably the main theme of the book is to look to Christ and God to help you through your grief.

[Yenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buku ini udah lama banget ada di rak buku saya...Zig Ziglar gitu loh...

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

great for anyone dealing with loss

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me insight during a time when some friends were going through a time of deep grief.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as formula-oriented as I expected, but a genuine visit about losing his daughter. Mom really appreciated it. GET THIS AGAIN.

[Helga Gonzalez]

Como bien dice el autor todo cristiano se enfrenta al dolor de perder un ser querido. El autor bajo experiencia propia nos habla del proceso para recuperar en fe ante la perdida.

[Carol Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for grief suffers.

As always Zig has incredible insights when weaving Christ love throughout life. He has done a great job weaving Christ love in regards to grief. Very positive and uplifting.