Feeling worn down in ministry? See what God is doing.
Leading a care ministry like GriefShare can be emotionally heavy. You pour out your heart to others week after week. Some days you may wonder: Is it making a difference?
Beverly Burton has those days, too. But then—God shows up.
Beverly never set out to lead a grief support group. After losing both of her sons in a tragic car accident in 2002, she and her husband were simply surviving. Eventually, someone invited her to attend a GriefShare group. Then, a few years later, her minister asked her to lead one.
“I was like, really? I’m not sure I’m equipped to do this,” Beverly remembers. But that calling turned into a life-giving ministry. Today, Beverly has led GriefShare groups in her church since 2017. “GriefShare, to me, is a way of honoring my boys’ memories,” she says. “God continues to show me miracles in so many ways in people’s lives and in my own life—that He is real and working and can truly bring beauty from ashes.”
See how one leader’s obedience has sparked healing and transformation for dozens in her community.
Every GriefShare leader knows: the work is sacred—but it’s not easy. “There are some tough stories,” Beverly says. She often comes home from sessions exhausted. “I just have to watch some mindless comedy sometimes.”
And yet, she keeps going. “Sometimes I question: How can I do this? Leading can be so hard.” But she does it anyway—because she knows it matters.
Despite the weight she carries, Beverly sees each group as holy ground.
“To me, that room just feels holy,” she says. “There’s nobody whose grief is any less weighty than anyone else’s. You can’t compare your grief.”
She creates a space where people feel safe to share. “People have told me they feel like they can say things in that room they can’t say even to some of their closest family members.”
And there’s joy, too. “No one would ever believe that we would laugh this hard in GriefShare,” Beverly says. “The full gamut of emotions—it’s all there.”
Over the years, Beverly has seen amazing stories unfold:
“There’s a group of women who met in the last few years that still go out to dinner once a month,” Beverly shares. “They’ve formed lasting friendships through this.”
And she doesn’t do it alone. “My co-leaders are fabulous. I could not do GriefShare alone,” she says. One co-leader is a counselor; another attended the group three times before stepping into leadership. Together, they create something sacred.
“I’ve had anywhere from five to 16 folks attend,” Beverly says. “Most aren’t even members of our church. It’s reaching the community.”
If you’re wondering whether your ministry is making a difference—or if you’re feeling burned out—let Beverly’s story remind you of this: God is using your “yes” to bring hope and healing.
“Knowing that I’m helping others … that’s what keeps me going,” she says. “It doesn’t ever go away. It is a lifelong journey when you’ve had such significant losses. But if someone says to me, ‘Thank you, you’ve helped me through this’—that’s everything.”
So, if you’re tired, take heart. You’re not alone. Your work means hope to many.