When Grief Meets The Holidays, Grace Walks With You

The lights are bright, but your heart might not be. We gathered around a hard truth: the holidays can amplify loss, whether it’s a loved one who’s gone, a relationship that ended, or plans that never took shape. From the first pang of seeing an empty chair to the quiet dread of a calendar packed with cheer you don’t feel, we name the ache and offer a path toward peace that doesn’t demand you pretend.

I share my own journey through separation and divorce, and how that first Christmas turned joy into a knot in my chest. That honesty opens space to talk about what helps: anchoring our confidence in Christ when circumstances don’t change overnight, and letting Emmanuel—God with us—be more than a lyric. We lean on Scripture that refuses to flinch, especially the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not death, not the past, not the heavy swirl of December.

We also get practical. If you’re carrying grief, we offer gentle rhythms that protect your heart: release nonessential traditions, curate quieter moments, and make room to remember without apologizing. If you’re thriving this season, we challenge you to notice who fades into the edges. Look for patterns, ask before acting, and offer presence without pressure. Sometimes love looks like a short visit, a warm meal, or a single sentence that says, I see you. And when words fail, we let prayer hold the room—asking for shalom, for strength, and for the courage to see small mercies.

If the season is heavy, you’re not broken; you’re human. Press play for encouragement, practical support, and a steady reminder that you are held. If this resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs a gentle companion through the holidays.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Purpose
• 0:20 Holidays As Joy And Hurt
• 1:27 Personal Story Of Separation And Loss
• 2:55 Anxiety Around Traditions And Empty Seats
• 4:15 Anchoring Hope In Christ
• 6:02 Be Present For Those In Pain
• 7:12 Practical Ways To Support Friends
• 7:50 Prayer And Scriptural Assurance
• 9:58 Invitation To Reach Out

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Welcome back to another Position for Purpose Conversations. I'm your host, Kenneth Marie. If this is your first time, welcome to our part. We hope that you will find this episode one that will encourage you, one that will just minister to your heart wherever you are. As we approach the holiday season, I know for some persons this is one of the hardest times of the year, while for others it's the most happiest times of the year. But today I want to encourage you if you're in the first group of persons that during this time, this holiday season, this is a time that is hard for you, that is difficult for you. You may be in a place where you are grieving the loss of a friend, a spouse, a relationship. You may also be looking at the goals that you have missed, and you're wondering, making plans and just looking back and just saying, Lord, what am I going to do? The new year is approaching. How will I transition out of this? What you call or maybe thinking of the failures, however, you may be describing the situation where you are. I want to encourage you today that honestly I have been there. I have been there. I remember the first year of being separated, how hard that first holiday was. Then it comes to then being divorced, even an even harder season as well. Because a holiday is always a time for family, for relationships, and just a gathering together of everyone. And so when we see the time approaching, anxiety can set in this sense of oh my god, can we just quickly get this season over? And this is this happens whether you are a believer or not, or maybe it just happens to me, or happened to me, because I remembered how I felt during the particularly the Christmas season. Because it was one of the holidays that I loved the most. And then just having to go through different seasons of difficulties and challenges at the loss of a loved one or the loss of a relationship or even plans that didn't go the way that we hope that they would have gone. We see it as loss, right? And so wherever you are in this holiday season, wherever you are, where whatever space you find yourself, I want to encourage you today. I want to encourage you today to make your confidence be in Christ alone. Cause him to be the one whom in whom your hope is. Cause him to be the one in whom your hope is. Just go ahead. Doors did not open for you as you were hoping that they would have. The plans that you made did not materialize in the way that you thought they would have. That you're also hurting from the loss of a relationship or a friendship that you thought would have would have lasted, but it has not. Can I tell you that God is with you? The same God who was with me, and I'm not telling you that it was easy. Just having an empty seat at a table was hard. And even though you understand why the situation had to be the way it is, when you get to that day and you just wish that that person was sitting at the table. If the person is alive, you wish they were there. If they are have passed on, you also miss their presence and you wish that you had one more chance, one more opportunity to be celebrating with them. But that is gone. And so, my encouragement, I want to encourage you today, as I encouraged myself during those years when I had to go through those times. When I can I tell you that I actually stopped liking Christmas for years and years and years, it's only in the past maybe five years that I've started to again enjoy the Christmas holidays. It was a time that I dreaded all because of the hurt and the loss and the pain that the season would have brought me. And so if you are that person today who is dreading the holidays, if you are that person who is saying, can it just pass on and go on? Can I remind you that Emmanuel, God with us, he is with you, he understands what you're going through, he knows what you are feeling, and he is saying to you, my daughter, I am walking through this season with you if you will allow me to. If you will allow me to. One of the things that I've encouraged over the years, I've in whether I'm sending out an email or wherever I'm encouraging others to be there for someone who in this season may not want to be around anyone either, they just want to be by themselves, let them be, or open space because there are some persons who are alone and wouldn't mind having someone, a visitor, either coming to or going to. Be that person who is right there, who can sense the need, especially if you have been there before, to strengthen someone else. So if you are in the second group of persons who this is the most wonderful time of the year for you, look out for someone else. Notice a pattern, notice that over the years, once this time rolls around, that you're seeing that this person is withdrawing and are has withdrawn themselves, they're wanting to be by themselves, they're separating themselves from you are and from others. See and ask prayerfully, Lord, how can I be a blessing to this, my friend, my sister, whoever the person is, how can I be a blessing? And especially if you've been there and you understand what they're going through, you may just need to just sit with them and say, Listen, or just say to them, I have been there. It is the grace of God that kept me while I'm still alive now. I understand what you're doing. We will not be pushing, but we'll make ourselves be available. We will be present, we will be present and make our presence be felt in the moment that these persons need us. So I want to pray over you. I want to pray over you today and remind you how much God loves you, that He cares for you, that in this moment when you feel as if you are all alone, when you feel as if God has abandoned you or He's allowed all this hardship and all this difficulty to be taking place, and you are wondering, where are you in the midst of this? Can I remind you? His word says that he has not left you, nor has he forsaken you either. And I want to remind you of what Romans 8 38 39 says. It says, Nothing can separate us from God's love, not death, not demons, not the present, nor the past. No power on earth will ever separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, my Lord. Nothing can separate you, not even the most challenging times you're having during this Christmas season that can separate him from you, his love from you. So, Heavenly Father, I just please, Lord, my friend who is listening to this episode today, you know the challenges that they're faced with. You know how hard the season is for them. I pray that you'll strengthen your under God, that we will remind them that nothing can separate us from your love for us, Almighty God. That Father, you will be the peace, Emmanuel God, with us. You will be their shalom during this season, Almighty God. And Father, they will be be keen, Almighty God, to see you in the small spaces, Lord God, and that they will open their eyes and their and their hearts to you in this season, Lord God, and be reminded of how much they are loved by you. Lord God, be with them. I give your praise, I give your glory, and I give your honor in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Can I tell you if this is a season that is hard for you, would you reach out to me and let me know? I definitely will be praying for you. I'll be sending a word of encouragement to you. So you can either send me a text in the description, or you can email me at colette Marie Online at gmail.com. I will be sure to respond to your email. We'll talk soon. And see you next time on another position for purpose conversation with me, Colette Marie.