This week at Newbreak, we begin Phase 12: I am free to grieve the things my trauma has stolen from me.

Phase 12 is the final step in the Sitting With Our Trauma section—a sacred turning point before we begin Moving Beyond Our Trauma. It invites us to pause, reflect, and acknowledge both the visible and invisible losses our pain has carried.

We grieve not only what was taken through trauma, but also what was lost along the way—opportunities, relationships, achievements, experiences, and moments that were meant for joy. Grief is not weakness; it’s the brave act of telling the truth about what mattered to us and what still does.

God created us to experience good things. Eden was paradise—a place of beauty, connection, and love. And though we live in a world that has fallen from that perfection, we still carry the echo of Eden within us. Scripture reminds us that one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

But until that day, we are called to grieve the losses of this life with honesty, faith, and hope. In Phase 12, we’re reminded that we are not called to enter grief alone—we are invited to enter it with Jesus.

Jesus wept with Mary when His friend Lazarus died. He was moved to compassion for Mary of Magdala, freeing her from torment. He healed the sick and restored sight to the blind because He did not want His people to remain afflicted. He came to bring goodness and wholeness into their lives—and into ours.

In this phase, we see Jesus as the Wounded Healer—the One who understands our suffering from the inside. We invite Him into our pain and allow His presence to hold us as we release what we can no longer carry alone. We are invited to let Jesus weep with us, to bring Him our tears and unspoken sorrow, trusting that nothing we feel is too heavy for Him.

He is a big God—the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords—and He can carry what overwhelms us. He carried the grief of the cross, and as one of our Co-Leaders shared this week, there is no grief He has not known.

If you are walking through grief or loss, you are not alone. Join us as we begin Phase 12 at Newbreak Church – Tierrasanta Campus, Suite B, every Monday from 6:30–8:00 PM. Together, we create space for God to meet us in our mourning and lead us toward peace.

If you would like to bring Phasing Out of Trauma to your church or community, we would love to connect with you. Email PhasingOOT@gmail.com or call (619) 847-0159 to learn how to partner with us.

There is healing in the honesty of grief, and there is hope in the God who sits with us through it all.