Life meets Death
Life and death in a moment. In the span of an hour today, one friend's precious baby came into this world. And another friend's unborn baby left this world. My heart is breaking and aching for the pain she is experiencing at the loss of that little one, that much-anticipated, hoped for life. The loss that so many, many of my friends have gone through.
I have felt at such a loss as to how to pray this week- reading the story of a mother losing her toddler and now another friend facing the loss of a child. How to utter words to help a friend in terrible, awful grief. Or a stranger experiencing the loss of a child. It makes me feel like I can't breathe, like I'm stuck.
I find all I can do is beg God to help them. Even asking for comfort somehow seems trivial. Comfort from the loss of a child. A child you'll never know, never get to hold or watch grow. And yet I know that's who God IS, the great comforter. And somehow, that's part of His mystery. He actually takes that life-shattering pain and offers something of Himself and somehow that heals and soothes the pain. He, Himself fills in that hole.
But really, I just can't wait for heaven. Some days the pain seems so huge and overwhelming, and it's not even my pain. But seeing the pain and watching it, I can't wait, it can't come soon enough. It might seem odd, but my all-time favorite verses in the Bible are:
Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.
Did you see that? No more
death
mourning
crying
pain
the OLD ORDER (that's now!) of things has passed away.
COME LORD JESUS, COME!
I have felt at such a loss as to how to pray this week- reading the story of a mother losing her toddler and now another friend facing the loss of a child. How to utter words to help a friend in terrible, awful grief. Or a stranger experiencing the loss of a child. It makes me feel like I can't breathe, like I'm stuck.
I find all I can do is beg God to help them. Even asking for comfort somehow seems trivial. Comfort from the loss of a child. A child you'll never know, never get to hold or watch grow. And yet I know that's who God IS, the great comforter. And somehow, that's part of His mystery. He actually takes that life-shattering pain and offers something of Himself and somehow that heals and soothes the pain. He, Himself fills in that hole.
But really, I just can't wait for heaven. Some days the pain seems so huge and overwhelming, and it's not even my pain. But seeing the pain and watching it, I can't wait, it can't come soon enough. It might seem odd, but my all-time favorite verses in the Bible are:
Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.
Did you see that? No more
death
mourning
crying
pain
the OLD ORDER (that's now!) of things has passed away.
COME LORD JESUS, COME!
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