It felt like a test—a test of my faith, a test of my convictions, a test of my love for God. Soon, very soon, after I learned that my son had died, I received a message from an old acquaintance. Her intentions were good—she wanted to offer consolation. But her… Source: Would It Be Okay …
Continue reading Would It Be Okay For Me To Be Angry With God? | Tim Challies
There is no getting around the fact that losing a loved one is a painful experience and a legitimate reason for being sad. Sometimes, (especially when we have been hurting for what seems like a very long time), we, or someone who cares about us, may wonder if we are OK. I am not a …
Continue reading Depression and the Child of God
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22,23 A beautiful Autumn day, a cup of tea with my husband, a visit from our daughter, Sunday worship, evenings with our remaining boys still at home - all these give rise …
Continue reading Grief: Keeping Our Emotions in Check
Joined in God – Streams in the Desert 8/19 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing 2 Cor. 6:10 Sorrow was beautiful, but her beauty was the beauty of the moonlight shining through the leafy branches of the trees in the wood, and making little pools of silver here and there on the soft green moss below. …
Continue reading Joy and Sorrow United
Contrary to various cultural notions, there is no set time-frame for grieving. None of us "gets over it" in the one year (or less) of mourning that is often allotted to us. Each family, and every member within it, operates within a unique set of circumstances that will influence both the weight and duration of …
Continue reading As Time Goes By
Kincaid Park, Anchorage, Alaska “How are you doing?” There are no words in any language that are sufficient to the task of expressing what I am experiencing. That is why, in some cultures, the women wail when someone dies. Even wailing is inadequate. There are some things that cannot be halved by sharing them. Grief …
Yes, the Sears store in Fairbanks, Alaska holds many memories for us.
Fear. It is a feeling you get in the pit of your stomach. An intense uneasiness. An acute sense of dread. Like, when you turn around in a store and your toddler has disappeared momentarily into the depths of a clothes rack. Or, when Josef came into the house that October day to tell me …
Of the many beautiful flowers that were given for Hans’ memorial service, only one is still alive and thriving in our home, an orchid, with its one big showy cluster of purple flowers at the end of a long vine-like stem. After we brought it home from the service, wrapped in plastic to protect it …
Continue reading The Butterfly
“How are you doing?” Why does this question make me uncomfortable, almost panicky? It seems like a simple question to which I ought to be able to give a simple answer. But, in truth, it is a very complicated question. There is no short answer. No easy multiple choice answer other than “all of the …
You Can Trust Him 