How to Navigate Grief When it Feels Like You’re Drowning: Join the Jesus Challenge
Grief.
None of us are immune to it, and we’ve all felt it to varying degrees.
It wraps around your world like a heavy blanket.
It sucks the color out of life, leaving everything you love dim and dull.
Your world stopped, but somehow life keeps moving around you.
At times you feel like you’re underwater and can’t breathe.
Dear friend. If you’re reading this blog, you must be walking through a dark valley. 😔
Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here. You’re safe to be yourself and feel whatever you need to feel. I wish I could scoop you up in a big hug, and I pray this blog wraps that same warmth around your heart. 🫶
What if I’m not ready to “be over it?”
This post is not aimed at pulling you out of your grief.
Or making the bad feelings go away.
Or making you finish grieving faster.
There is no timeline for grief or the “right way” to mourn a loss.
No, I just want to come alongside you and gently offer you a simple resource to help you stay grounded as the waves crash over you. 🛟
Right now you might not know how to keep going – or even what “keep going” means.
You might be angry at God for allowing such a loss to happen.
You struggle to get out of bed, shower, and eat – not because you’re lazy – but because it’s just hard.
It’s really hard.
The Jesus Challenge isn’t about “fixing” these things. When your whole world comes crashing down, this challenge gives you a simple, easy framework to follow without having to think, be a certain way, or put on a mask. It helps you stay afloat through the various stages of grief with small, uncomplicated habits.
You don’t have to do this alone. Let me show you how my virtual Jesus challenge is a source of comfort, structure, and peace during one of the hardest seasons of your life.
What is the Jesus Challenge?
Before we continue, let’s get on the same page about what I mean by “my virtual Jesus challenge.”
It’s a simple, practical routine designed to gently help you connect with yourself and God. It enables you to take care of yourself in a season when pretty much everything else feels impossible.
Here’s what my 40-day Scripture challenge consists of:
🏃🏻 Walking or running 1 mile per day for 40 days.
📖 Reading or listening to a pre-assigned passage of Scripture on your walk or run.
📝 Participating (optionally) in daily challenges to help apply your reading to real life.
💌Enjoying a private accountability group full of prayer warriors and daily encouragement.
That’s all there is to it!
My virtual Jesus challenge helps you walk through the pain WITH God, one small step at a time, one day at a time. It’s a gentle reminder that you’re NOT alone and there IS hope.
The Jesus Challenge Encourages Gentle Physical Activity
If you’re struggling to get out of bed –
Or walk to the bathroom –
Or force yourself to eat –
Or move in any way –
There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not crazy.
Grief doesn’t just hurt your heart – it physically affects your whole body, your hormones, and your brain. You might feel sluggish, empty, and completely drained of energy. 😮💨
But here’s the surprising truth: gentle movement is one of the most healing things you can do for yourself when you’re in pain. Any kind of movement releases endorphins, your body’s mood boosters. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not encouraging you to speed up your grief journey or snap out of your sadness. 🙅🏻♀️ Not at all.
But getting yourself outside and moving every day is enough to help your body and mind process the toll of loss. It’s a perfect way to care for yourself with compassion and gentleness.
Benefits of Daily Movement:
🧠 Improved mental clarity, giving you fresh perspective and hope.
🧑🏽🤝🧑🏼Reduced loneliness and isolation, allowing you to feel more connected to the world around you.
😴 Better sleep quality if you struggle with insomnia and overthinking.
✨ Connection to the present when you spend a lot of time thinking about the past.
❤️🩹 Reduced stress, depression, and anxiety, calming your mind and heart.
When you’re hurting, big commitments feel impossible. And that’s not my virtual Jesus challenge. It doesn’t require you to push yourself to exhaustion. It encourages simple, sustainable movement like daily walks – just enough to get your body moving without overwhelming you.
My 40-day Scripture challenge is designed to meet you in the real-life messiness of heartache – to support you as you navigate grief at your own pace.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Time with God
Jesus was called the Man of Sorrows for a reason. He went through every anguish you and I could experience, and He knows the depth of your pain. 🫶
Psalm 34:18 comforts us with these words: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In your overwhelming sadness, God isn’t just a spiritual being out there somewhere –
He’s your only real lifeline.
He doesn’t make you carry your grief alone.
He is WITH you.
He sees and knows all the pain you don’t have words to describe.
He weeps with you.
He’s compassionate and gentle in His love toward you.
Real-life Changes When You Spend Time with God:
- Heart-level healing. ❤️🩹 Grief leaves deep wounds and nothing can “fix” them. Talking to a God who knows the depth of your pain and walks with you through the dark valley is like a soothing balm on those wounds. And as you pour out your raw, honest heart to Him, bit by bit, those wounds begin to heal.
- A deep sense of peace. The weight of sorrow can feel suffocating, but God offers us peace beyond understanding. Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us that when we bring our burdens to God in prayer, His peace will guard our hearts and minds. 🛡It doesn’t erase the pain, but it gives us strength to walk through it.
- Renewed hope. God’s Word reminds us that the devil is the enemy, but he does NOT win the final victory. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 says that though we grieve, we don’t do so as people without hope. 🌱 Our ultimate hope is found in the presence and faithfulness of our God, which prevails beyond all life, death, changes, and seasons.
Friend, NOTHING else will satisfy and heal your heart. Only Jesus.
- Not food.
- Not movies and TV shows.
- Not burying yourself in work.
- Not social media.
- Not isolation.
- Not shopping.
- Not avoiding your feelings.
Only God understands and can soothe the pain in your heart. He’s ready and waiting to comfort, guide, and strengthen you through this dark valley. He doesn’t take the pain away, but He walks through it with you.
And through the Jesus Challenge, you’ll find that time with God becomes more than just something to check off – it becomes the very source of comfort and healing you’ve been looking for. 🥹
The Jesus Challenge Reintroduces Easy Routines
Grief can turn your world upside down. Suddenly, the routines and structures that once ordered your life seem to crumble, leaving only chaos. Daily tasks feel overwhelming, and you're easily lost in the fog of sadness. 😔
Whether it feels true or not, routine provides a sense of control and predictability when everything else feels unstable and chaotic.
My virtual Jesus challenge gently reintroduces structure into your day without piling on pressure or expectations. It gives you small, consistent touch points that ground you in God's presence and gently guide you into healthy rhythms. 🪴
Ground Yourself With Daily Scripture
You might be angry with God, or questioning why he allowed such pain into your life. 😣Maybe it feels easier to avoid Him altogether.
But friend, I wouldn’t be loving you well if I didn’t remind you that grief will either push you farther away from God or bring you closer to him. As difficult as it may feel, the Bible is the one place where you'll find true comfort and hope.
Reading Scripture doesn't mean everything will suddenly make sense. But it does offer a deeper perspective into your grief, such as:
- A window into God's heart for the broken and hurting. 💔 The Bible overflows with stories of real people walking through unimaginable pain, and God in every one of them, guiding, comforting, and loving them through it all.
- An anchor of truth that holds firm even when everything else feels uncertain. ⚓ When grief consumes you, your emotions seem like the only truth. And while feelings are valid, they aren't always trustworthy. Let your heart be tethered to God's truth, and it will hold you fast through the waves of your emotions and grief.
- New perspective on age-old Bible stories. 📚Whether it's Job crying out in despair, David wrestling with deep sorrow, or Jesus weeping at the death of his friend Lazarus, I pray you dig into your Scripture readings and see a fresh side of God's faithfulness in each one.
Instead of overwhelming you with massive chunks of text, my 40-day Scripture challenge invites you to spend small moments in God's word every day – moments that help shift your focus from chaos to the stability of His truth.
Don't worry, I'm not asking you to come up with your own Bible study. My virtual Jesus challenge takes the guesswork out of where to start. I prayerfully pre-assign a section of Scripture for you to read, and I know the Lord will use it to speak to your heart. 🤗
The Jesus Challenge Encourages Healthy Community
Grief often feels isolating, even when you’re surrounded by family and friends. No one truly understands the depth of your pain, or even worse, you feel like you’re supposed to “keep it together” for everyone else's sake. 😫
Here's the truth: we aren't meant to grieve alone. While each person's grief journey is unique and valid, there's immense power in sharing your load with those around you. God's Word says to bear one another's burdens. This not only means being there for others but ALSO letting trusted people into your world and sharing your struggles with them.
The Jesus challenge was designed with this very idea in mind. One of the most powerful tools within my 40-day scripture challenge is the private Facebook group. It’s a vibrant, safe, healthy group of people where everyone can share their experiences, pray for each other in real time, and find comfort in being known.
Thousands of participants have found hope and community here, and I know you will too. 🤝
I hope you take advantage of this incredible opportunity. I know talking to people might be the last thing you want to do right now. But when you're ready, know that the wonderful men and women in my private Facebook group are eager to welcome you with open arms and listening ears. 🤗
Moving Forward While Honoring Your Grief
The idea of moving forward might feel impossible at a time like this – or even wrong. You might subconsciously fear that engaging in activities like the 40-day Scripture challenge might mean you're “getting over” your loss too quickly. Or worse, forgetting the person you’re mourning.
Dear friend, there is no timeline or linear journey to grief. 💞You are doing a great job. And the Jesus challenge honors that. It doesn’t callously encourage you to “get over” it. It creates small, intentional moments in your day where you can reconnect with God and lighten your load.
When you take that daily walk and read God's Word, you're not denying your grief. You're acknowledging you can't do it alone. You're trusting God to guide you, allowing Him to breathe hope and peace into the spaces that feel utterly broken. 🌱
As you walk with Jesus, you'll find moments of clarity, small pockets of peace, and the comforting presence of a God who sees and knows your pain.
Let's Take This Next Step Together
Grief can never be erased, and no challenge or program can bring back your loss. But as you process, my virtual Jesus challenge offers a tangible, gentle way to navigate the questions, emotions, and lifelong adjustments to loss. 🧭
God meets you right where you are, and the Jesus challenge is designed to do the same – to meet you in your sorrow and give you tools to lean on Him as you grieve.
Friend, this might feel like the last thing you want to do. But I encourage you to trust the process and trust the Lord with your grief journey. He’s got you. 🤲
I hope you sign up for the Jesus challenge. You’ll find deep hope, rest, and comfort there, and I long for you to experience these things. ❤️
Don't give up hope! You're never alone.
With love,
Rachel