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Faith Doesn't Erase Grief: Embracing the Experience and Finding Hope
"In addition to being comforting, Faith Doesn't Erase Grief is filled with practical information about the stages of grief and healthy tools for emotional expression..."
—Sarah Lewakowski, MA, LLP, Executive Director, Mosaic Counseling
Grief is a part of being human, but far too often, people who allow themselves to grieve are shamed for doing so and rushed into rejoicing that their loved one is in heaven. It is time for a better way, acknowledging that you can struggle with grief and still love God. Licensed professional counselor and ordained minister Kate Meyer is an experienced, warm, and practical guide to show you how to honor and affirm your feelings of grief. In one of the most helpful new Christian grief books, Meyer blends up-to-date grief psychology, biblical accounts, and everyday stories. Faith Doesn't Erase Grief
Grief is a difficult but natural part of life. For grievers, professional helpers, and those wanting to better understand loss, let Faith Doesn’t Erase Grief help you value the fullness of grief and discover the first steps toward hope.
—Sarah Lewakowski, MA, LLP, Executive Director, Mosaic Counseling
Grief is a part of being human, but far too often, people who allow themselves to grieve are shamed for doing so and rushed into rejoicing that their loved one is in heaven. It is time for a better way, acknowledging that you can struggle with grief and still love God. Licensed professional counselor and ordained minister Kate Meyer is an experienced, warm, and practical guide to show you how to honor and affirm your feelings of grief. In one of the most helpful new Christian grief books, Meyer blends up-to-date grief psychology, biblical accounts, and everyday stories. Faith Doesn't Erase Grief
Grief is a difficult but natural part of life. For grievers, professional helpers, and those wanting to better understand loss, let Faith Doesn’t Erase Grief help you value the fullness of grief and discover the first steps toward hope.
240 pages, Paperback
Published July 12, 2022
22 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 11, 2022
As humans, we will will go through a season of grief or have already been on that journey. The author uses her vast experience as a grief counselor/hospice chaplain combined with honest conversations and faith to guide and support us through this season.
I HIGHLY recommend that everyone read this book to understand that grief is different for everyone and even after the magical 1 year mark, that does not mean you are done grieving. We all need to understand this to support our friends/family/community.
No one is alone on this journey and each situation is unique, Kate reminds us of that.
I HIGHLY recommend that everyone read this book to understand that grief is different for everyone and even after the magical 1 year mark, that does not mean you are done grieving. We all need to understand this to support our friends/family/community.
No one is alone on this journey and each situation is unique, Kate reminds us of that.
July 22, 2022
This is a book for all humans, regardless of if you are in the throes of grief. You will grieve and you will know others who will too.
This book will help you prepare for the unimaginable and will allow you to be a safe support system for others.
This book will help you prepare for the unimaginable and will allow you to be a safe support system for others.
November 1, 2022
A MUST read
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 18, 2022
For anyone who has suffered loss of any kind and for those who want to find out how to help those who are in grief, please purchase this book for them and you! A very easy read but more than that it is so practical. I have read many books on this subject and am grieving myself and I have yet to find a book better than this one. Kate takes her years of experience and uses them to validate the grieving process. This book gives hope and courage to those of us who are facing devastating loss. She is clear and concise about what is helpful and what is not, all the while allowing the reader to decide for themselves how to navigate their loss in the best possible way for them. She addresses the myths of society and the churches expectations on those who grieve and just his unhelpful and false they can be. Every lay church leader and every pastor should read this book along with anyone who wants to understand at a deep level just how difficult, yet not impossible, a task grief is to move forward and live a happy, joyous, and free life without those we love until we meet again. Although this is designed for the Christian faith, I believe every griever would benefit from Kate’s point of view. I highly recommend this book.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 18, 2022
For anyone who has suffered loss of any kind and for those who want to find out how to help those who are in grief, please purchase this book for them and you! A very easy read but more than that it is so practical. I have read many books on this subject and am grieving myself and I have yet to find a book better than this one. Kate takes her years of experience and uses them to validate the grieving process. This book gives hope and courage to those of us who are facing devastating loss. She is clear and concise about what is helpful and what is not, all the while allowing the reader to decide for themselves how to navigate their loss in the best possible way for them. She addresses the myths of society and the churches expectations on those who grieve and just his unhelpful and false they can be. Every lay church leader and every pastor should read this book along with anyone who wants to understand at a deep level just how difficult, yet not impossible, a task grief is to move forward and live a happy, joyous, and free life without those we love until we meet again. Although this is designed for the Christian faith, I believe every griever would benefit from Kate’s point of view. I highly recommend this book.
September 29, 2022
I read Kate Meyer’s new book “Grief Doesn’t Erase Grief” over a 10-day period. (I was given a pre-release copy) Which is pretty good for me, it usually takes me longer to complete a book. We all experience some form of grief at some point in our adult lives. It is especially true as we age. I found this book to be very clearly laid out. It reads like a “How To” book in the area of grief. The author is quite clear in her definitions and descriptions of stages of grief. But she doesn’t stop there. The author uses her wealth of experience to fill in around all the processes of grief with real life examples she has experienced as a counselor/therapist/pastor. I found that aspect to be what really got me hooked and wanted to complete the book as fast I did.
I will not try and write a synopsis of the book here. I just wanted to high light a few portions that struck deeply with me. The author states: “Grief is the greatest cost of love. It is a risk we take because we are beings created to be in relationship, because we thrive in community”. The idea that the grief we feel is the cost of loving someone. That is an interesting concept to think about.
Another part of the book that struck me was; “Of all the things grief steals, the ability to feel love, either from God or towards God, is perhaps the greatest loss.” It doesn’t have to happen but many times it can, if only temporarily. The author states this loss shines the light on the importance of having a community around us. They help listen to the grieving person and let them share their questions and doubts about God without being judged or belittled.
The last passage that struck deeply in me was; “God created humanity with many amazing, imbued abilities and defenses, and primary among them is the emotional numbing that happens in early grief. Yes, grievers feel sadness and pain immediately following the death of a loved one, but not to their full extent. If we lived in the full reality of grief, the full pain all the time, we would not be able to withstand it.” I had the strange coincidence of witnessing something of this as I was reading this portion of the book. I was at coed softball game in my community on evening and as the game was proceeding, I heard a screaming, wailing sort of noise coming from one of the other team’s members. At first, I thought this person had been hit by a ball. They were curled up in a ball screaming. It was chilling. Such a raw release of emotion. As this unfolded, word came out that this person had just received a phone call that her mother had just passed away. What I was witnessing was unbridled raw grief. It was chilling for all who were witnessing it. The author’s view that God created humans with amazing defense mechanisms and the emotional numbing is one of them. What I saw for a brief time could not have been sustained by this person. It would have torn them a part.
So, I would recommend this book to anyone. Think of it as a handbook to successfully dealing with grief. Whether your own grief or someone in your circle of friends. I personally feel that I am better prepared for grief the next time I am faced with it or if one of my friends experiences it.
I will not try and write a synopsis of the book here. I just wanted to high light a few portions that struck deeply with me. The author states: “Grief is the greatest cost of love. It is a risk we take because we are beings created to be in relationship, because we thrive in community”. The idea that the grief we feel is the cost of loving someone. That is an interesting concept to think about.
Another part of the book that struck me was; “Of all the things grief steals, the ability to feel love, either from God or towards God, is perhaps the greatest loss.” It doesn’t have to happen but many times it can, if only temporarily. The author states this loss shines the light on the importance of having a community around us. They help listen to the grieving person and let them share their questions and doubts about God without being judged or belittled.
The last passage that struck deeply in me was; “God created humanity with many amazing, imbued abilities and defenses, and primary among them is the emotional numbing that happens in early grief. Yes, grievers feel sadness and pain immediately following the death of a loved one, but not to their full extent. If we lived in the full reality of grief, the full pain all the time, we would not be able to withstand it.” I had the strange coincidence of witnessing something of this as I was reading this portion of the book. I was at coed softball game in my community on evening and as the game was proceeding, I heard a screaming, wailing sort of noise coming from one of the other team’s members. At first, I thought this person had been hit by a ball. They were curled up in a ball screaming. It was chilling. Such a raw release of emotion. As this unfolded, word came out that this person had just received a phone call that her mother had just passed away. What I was witnessing was unbridled raw grief. It was chilling for all who were witnessing it. The author’s view that God created humans with amazing defense mechanisms and the emotional numbing is one of them. What I saw for a brief time could not have been sustained by this person. It would have torn them a part.
So, I would recommend this book to anyone. Think of it as a handbook to successfully dealing with grief. Whether your own grief or someone in your circle of friends. I personally feel that I am better prepared for grief the next time I am faced with it or if one of my friends experiences it.
May 31, 2023
An excellent tool for those grieving, this book is practical, and includes many suggestions on how work your way through the most difficult times of early and middle grief with a view of the longer life of living without your loved one. I would suggest reading after at least a few months have passed. She mentions several frameworks with their pros and cons, but doesn't stick to a particular one that I recall. Instead, she focuses on the process, and necessary reflections required to encounter grief and live in it instead of getting stuck in it. Also useful of course for anyone who has a friend in their life suffering a loss.
November 9, 2022
Faith doesn't erase grief
This book is a great read for believers struggling with grief. They think they shouldn't feel such grief if their faith was stronger. This book validates the grief being felt and helps you to grow stronger in your faith as yo grieve. I recommend this book as a helpful tool as one journeys through the grief.
This book is a great read for believers struggling with grief. They think they shouldn't feel such grief if their faith was stronger. This book validates the grief being felt and helps you to grow stronger in your faith as yo grieve. I recommend this book as a helpful tool as one journeys through the grief.
December 31, 2023
I was a bit skeptical when I picked up this book, but I found it to be incredibly helpful and insightful. I believe the title doesn't do the content justice, though: the scope of this book is much broader than just "A Christian approach to grief": so many of the points made are relatable to anyone who has been bereaved, not just Christians.
I can highly recommend reading this to anybody who is grieving or who wants to support sensitively someone who is grieving.
I only wish I had read it earlier!
I can highly recommend reading this to anybody who is grieving or who wants to support sensitively someone who is grieving.
I only wish I had read it earlier!
August 25, 2025
This book said all the things I haven’t had words for after losing my grandmother and father within six months this year. Having someone describe what I’m experiencing helped me feel seen and normal. I appreciate the careful way the author spoke about grief and faith without pressing faith on the griever. The most helpful chapter was the one about middle grief. Perhaps because I feel like I’m currently there. Thank you, Kate, for your work here. I’ve shared it with others already.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews