When You Feel Unequipped: Trusting God to Use Your Grief for Good

Do you feel underqualified to lead a GriefShare group? You’re not alone.

When her leader asked Beverly Burton to co-lead a GriefShare group, her response was honest and immediate: hesitation. After the devastating loss of her two sons in a car accident, Beverly never imagined that one day she’d be the person comforting others through grief.

“I was like, really? I’m not sure I’m equipped to do this,” she recalls. Her first attempt at facilitating, alongside a friend, felt less like leading and more like surviving. “Just the three of us watching the video, not really facilitating anything but just a puddle of tears for 13 weeks basically is what we did.”

Despite that rocky beginning, God continued to nudge her toward leadership. Years later, after moving back to Winston-Salem, her minister approached her again. This time, Beverly prayed—and then said yes. “Even though I went through the training videos with GriefShare and I read a lot … you sit there knowing that you’re doing what God made you to do.”

Feeling unqualified? You’re in good company

Many who receive the call to lead GriefShare don’t feel ready. It’s easy to wonder: Am I far enough along in my healing? Do I know enough? Can I truly help others?

Beverly understands this doubt intimately. “I’m not an expert. I don’t have any training, and I don’t have the market cornered on grief,” she says. But through prayer, persistence, and the support of a team, she learned that God equips those He calls. “It felt like this was a ministry that God had called me to do in the fall of 2017, and I’m still doing GriefShare in 2025.”

You’re not alone: Help and support are ready for you

GriefShare offers robust training and leader support that prepares you to guide others through grief, even if you’ve never led anything before. Beverly’s team included others who had never gone through the program themselves, but with the tools provided and support from her church, they thrived.

As her group grew, so did her confidence and creativity. She began adding thoughtful touches to her groups—like responsive readings and closing reflections—and empowering others to co-lead. “One woman had gone through the GriefShare series three times. I kept telling her, ‘You are qualified. You need to do this.’ And now she’s on board.”

Each session brings new stories, new heartbreak, and new healing. “Every group that I facilitate is always different. It has its own unique stories,” Beverly said. And while the pain never entirely disappears, neither does the purpose. “GriefShare to me is … a way of honoring my boys’ memories.”

A turning point

For Beverly, the moment of clarity came not from a training manual, but from the peace that came with serving. “You know that you’re doing what God made you to do,” she said. “That room, to me, just feels holy.”

GriefShare became more than a program—it became a calling. Beverly has witnessed lives transformed, relationships restored, and people finding joy again. “People don’t think that you can laugh in grief. But we do. I’ve had tears from laughing so hard.”

The impact extends beyond the church walls. Most of her group participants aren’t members of her church, and yet they keep coming back, inviting others, and even starting groups of their own. One college student in her group went on to start a GriefShare group at Wake Forest University. “It just kind of organically happened,” Beverly said. “And she was the right person for it. She’s an old soul.”

Are you ready to trust God with your calling?

If you’ve experienced profound loss and wonder if God could ever use your pain for good, Beverly’s story is a testament: He can, and He will.

“Knowing that I’m helping others … that this is a way that I can honor my boys’ memories … it doesn’t ever go away. It is a lifelong journey when you’ve had such a significant loss.”

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need to take the next step.

Ready to trust God with your calling? 

Download our free GriefShare QuickStart Guide to see what starting a GriefShare group could look like. It’s practical, encouraging, and full of the answers you’re probably asking for.