This is sort of a stream of consciousness post....I'm thinking "out loud" here. And pardon me; the topic may seem gloomy.
I belong to several online health groups due to my daughter Emma, who has serious medical issues.
This has been a very sad week for one of those online communities: Parents of Severely Disabled Children. One little girl passed away a few days ago, while two other children are nearing the end of their time here on Earth. The families are grieving, yet trying to be strong, particularly those whose children are still here. They are trying to provide a loving and peaceful atmosphere for their little ones as they prepare them to go home.
Then yesterday I spent a little bit of time "blog hopping". In less than an hour I encountered two separate blogs, both written and maintained by wonderful Christian people, one of whom had just lost his healthy 8-month-old son (he just died in his sleep for no reason at all); the other had lost her twenty-year-old son last month in Iraq.
I read their stories and cry....I pray for them, for comfort and peace. I cannot imagine their anguish.
Why is it so terribly difficult for us to step back and see beyond this life to the joy of the next?
Somewhere inside we know that this life is temporary, that our bodies are not really ours but on loan to us....yet when the reality of death is before our eyes, particularly when a child passes on before a parent, the grief is excruciating. Even devout Christians may experience rage, crushing depression, and immobilizing sorrow.
Somehow we don't anticipate these things happening to us.
My own brother lost his son a little over a year ago, and is still in the grip of such anguish that it affects everything and everyone around him. And all I can do is pray for him....I don't know how to help him apart from that.
We must cling to the promises in His Word at such times:
Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.
Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
Someday all will be made right. We believe that we will all be together again, in the Life to come. We believe that those who have gone before us are with Him now, in Paradise.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
Lord, help me to have the faith of a little child; help me to let go and trust You in all areas. Help me to rejoice in the fact that our life here on Earth is temporary. Thank You for the peace and comfort that You have provided and are still providing to all of those families mentioned above, including my brother and his family. Amen.
Post Script: Looking back at this post it doesn't seem very "stream-of-consciousness", does it? It's actually somewhat organized, and almost makes sense. Yet I'm still in the grip of the nameless emotion that prompted the post. Apparently I didn't say all that needed to be said...I don't know.
3 comments:
hi jo ann.
i came through the high calling blogs. it was good to read your post.
n.
Sometimes there is just nothing we can say or do except for pray. You probably help your brother out more than you realize by just "being there." There's a great book that is used by Stephen's Ministers (lay persons who are trained to give one-on-one care to people who are hurting). It's called "Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart" by Dr. Haugk. It's an excellent book, I think you would like it if you haven't already read it.
Thanks Nancy and Nola. I'll look for that book Nola, it sounds like it would be very helpful.
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