Woterstorff's Reflections in Lament For a Son and Kubler-Ross' Five Stages of Grief

Grief
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Grief
When one loses a loved one, there is an emotional turmoil that ensures. This is also the case when it comes to every aspects of personal trauma and grief. The grief process takes a series of steps that lead to a point in time when the emotional burden of the trauma has significantly subsided. One of the best ways to understand the grief process is through the five stages that were introduced by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler Ross (Axelrod, 2016). In her theory, grief takes on five stages, which include denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally acceptance. While the processes are universal, that tend to be different in significance for different people. It is also important to note that they are not strictly sequential as one can skip from one to the other from time to time. One of the books that is best placed at studying the impacts of grief relative to loss through death is Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff. In the book, the author writes about his journey to healing after he lost his son in a fall.
How Woterstorff finds joy after his loss
Woterstorff lost his son through a fall to his death as they gone on a climbing exercise. His first reaction is consistent with denial, as he does not believe that he has now lost his son and he would not be coming back. After which he tends to be angry with himself thinking that he could have made better choices with his son or at least he could have held on to his son, he would still be alive. However, after much bargaining about the love that he had for his son and the rest of the children left behind, he turns to faith. He takes on a Christian approach to handle his grieve, which is relative to the last stage of grief, acceptance (Axelrod, 2016). He further believes that God had a reason for the loss that he suffered and that He also had a purpose for his life. By taking that, the loss of his son had a deeper meaning and one that was tied to the purpose of God in his life, he took courage to accept the death. In the Bible and specifically in the book of Romans 8:31-39, Christians are encouraged to trust in God’s purpose (Romans 8:31-39). This is the same message that is carried in the book of John 14:1-3, when Jesus is talking to the disciples (John 14:1-3).
‘14 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ (John 14:1-3)
He also believed that he had moved on to another better place as is with the Christian faith relative to the afterlife, where they would meet again.
What is the meaning and significance of death in light of the Christian narrative?
In the Christian narrative, death is not the end of life. Rather, when one dies they move on to the afterlife. This means that when one dies, their loved ones are consoled to know that they will meet again in th...