When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. (Psalm 73:21-23, NIV)

Can you relate to this verse? If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by grief or deeply wounded by an offense, you know how easily hurt turns into bitterness or even rage, when the primal sin beast in us reacts to protect our fragile ego.

The psalmist sees his ugly self before God, yet where else can he go with the pain, the bitterness, the confusion? Only God’s presence can comfort him.

A brute beast is wild, untameable, a moron. Grief can certainly make us feel like that—crazy, like we’ve lost our mind. When strong emotions sweep reason out to sea, we may be tempted to do something downright stupid in our disoriented state.

Overwhelmed by a tidal wave of grief, it’s normal to lose perspective. The psalmist says, “I was senseless and ignorant.” We conclude that it’s okay to not have answers; it’s okay to not be our usual selves; it’s okay to be a mess. But we still wonder how to cope. What can we do when the riptide of bitterness, for example, threatens to pull us under? Or when we can’t discern up from down anymore because we’re tumbling in the high surf of sorrow?

Surfers who dare to ride Hawaii’s famous pipeline know that to survive a crash in those conditions, they must quickly curl into a tight ball. Likewise, we should consider the wisdom of “survival mode” when dealing with high intensity emotions like grief. Lightening our schedule where possible, getting plenty of sleep, and taking quiet time for reflection and prayer are some healthy inner-focused ways to ride out spiritually dangerous seasons in life.

Remember, the waves of grief will subside over time and you will regain your equilibrium. In the meantime, trust that God is stronger than the ocean of sorrow that threatens to keep you under, that the roiling sea cannot separate you from the grip of his love, and that in the end, He will pull you safely to the surface of life once again.

Over and over throughout her life my mother experienced the Lord’s goodness and mercy. This is her account of an incident that occurred after she found work in west Germany as a maid:

A WALK IN THE WOODS

I had the afternoon off one beautiful spring day and decided to take a long walk in the woods. Feeling pretty in my dirndl dress, I marched down the path, delighted by the fresh greenery sprouting everywhere, the birds singing and the peaceful sanctuary of the trees. After a while I found myself on a narrow path. Suddenly I was afraid and thought, No, you dare not go any farther, so I turned around to head home.

Suddenly a young man stepped out from behind some bushes and asked in a choked voice, “Mind if I join you?”

“That’s not necessary,” I replied. “I’m on my way to Cronenberg.”

“That’s where I’m going too,” he said.

An uneasy feeling crept over me.

As I walked I could feel his breath on my neck. He’s following far too close, my mind screamed. All my senses were on high alert now. I started to talk rapidly while in my heart I cried out to my Heavenly Father for protection.

“Are you a believer?” I asked.

“No.”

So I told him about Jesus and the more I talked, the quieter he got. There was not a house or any people in sight. My heart beat so hard I could feel it in my throat. Will he attack me? I berated myself for having been so careless to walk alone.

Finally we emerged from the woods, nearing the first homes, and the path broadened so that he could walk next to me. I breathed a little easier and made eye contact. He stood still, looked me full in the face and said, “I thank you. You are the first girl in such a situation that I have not overpowered. Now I have more respect for myself.”

With tears in his eyes he turned and walked away.

Surely an angel had been with me. With all my heart I kept thanking the Lord over and over for His protection.

I saw this young man only one other time when we crossed paths in town. From a distance he tipped his hat and greeted me warmly. I never saw him again since I moved to Switzerland shortly thereafter.