Therapy and Theology S10 E5 | How To Accept a Future You Never Wanted
Oct 9, 2025
Jim Cress, a counselor and co-author specializing in grief and recovery, shares profound insights on navigating loss. He unpacks the five stages of grief, emphasizing that healing is a cyclical journey rather than a linear one. Cress highlights the dangers of romanticizing the past and offers practical tips for integrating healthy reality checks. They explore how acceptance, rather than time, is key to moving forward. Discover how small acts of agency can empower individuals to actively shape their futures after loss.
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Acceptance Is A Chosen Peace
- Acceptance is a deliberate decision to make peace with an imperfect, unpredictable life after loss.
- Lysa says acceptance freed her from resisting reality and allowed her to love her new season of life.
Permit Nonlinear Grieving
- Give yourself permission to move through grief without strict timelines or shame for cycling back through stages.
- Jim recommends noticing where you are and preaching the gospel to yourself as you cycle.
Mourning A Lost Future
- Grief includes mourning the future you anticipated, not just losses you've already experienced.
- Joel notes you grieve an imagined future that now will not happen and must learn to live in uncertainty.
