What Grieving People Wish You Knew (Paperback) by Nancy Guthrie

What Grieving People Wish You Knew

If you have never experienced grief yourself, it can be hard to know how to help people who are grieving. Nancy Guthrie suggests things that are helpful to say, and alerts us to things that are unhelpful. I was convicted of my frequent thoughtless. Guthrie emphasises that the most important thing is presence, and offering help without waiting to be asked. The relationship that results will allow the sharing of Biblical truth. The book is full of quotes from people who have been on the author’s programs and bring it to life, although nearly all of them are from an American cultural perspective. In dealing with the issue of deceased infants, Guthrie looks to God’s mercy on them. There are helpful answers on being angry with God, sharing Bible verses, and when to encourage the grieving to move on from sadness, although grief never really ends.

Stephen Ayre

What Grieving People Wish You Knew

Nancy shares her own experience, and that of 100s of others, in dealing with grief to equip us, the reader, to support and care for those who are grieving in wisdom and love. The author wants us to discover ideas and encouragement to engage with those who are grieving, rather than avoiding them, and to keep trying to enter into the awkwardness and difficulty of loving grieving people, even when we're scared to do so. Two things about the book really stood out to me: 1) It's practical. There's plenty of examples of what's good to say and do and what's best to avoid, without falling into a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. She covers a lot of questions that we might have about how to interact with and love those who are grieving. 2) It's personal. Nancy's story of loss, and that of her survey respondents, are heart-breaking. I cried at the grief and sorrow these people have gone through. And I cried even more at the ways in which others have helped and loved these grieving people with empathy and respect. There's a lot of grace for those who have made mistakes in this area (Nancy's no exception), which gives a wonderful humble, sensitive tone to the book. All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. May we too seek to combine a genuine care for grieving people with pointing them to Jesus and the hope and comfort and strength only he can provide.

Matthew Brown

A really, really helpful book

Nancy shares her own experience, and that of 100s of others, in dealing with grief to equip us, the reader, to support and care for those who are grieving in wisdom and love. The author wants us to discover ideas and encouragement to engage with those who are grieving, rather than avoiding them, and to keep trying to enter into the awkwardness and difficulty of loving grieving people, even when we're scared to do so. Two things about the book really stood out to me: 1) It's practical. There's plenty of examples of what's good to say and do and what's best to avoid, without falling into a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. She covers a lot of questions that we might have about how to interact with and love those who are grieving. 2) It's personal. Nancy's story of loss, and that of her survey respondents, are heart-breaking. I cried at the grief and sorrow these people have gone through. And I cried even more at the ways in which others have helped and loved these grieving people with empathy and respect. There's a lot of grace for those who have made mistakes in this area (Nancy's no exception), which gives a wonderful humble, sensitive tone to the book. All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. May we too seek to combine a genuine care for grieving people with pointing them to Jesus and the hope and comfort and strength only he can provide.

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