Books, articles, quotes and support for those who are grieving the loss a loved one. ” . . . the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4
Sometimes the best help we can give is a sensitive heart and a listening ear. Let's remember to listen. Anton Chekhov understood a newly bereaved parent's compelling need to talk about their loss. Here are excerpts form his short story, Misery. From ‘Misery’, Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904) "With a look of anxiety and suffering Iona's …
Continue reading The Ministry of Listening
An Excerpt from my Book Never Ceasing: God’s Faithfulness in Grief In cutting his earthly life short, God has withheld no good thing from our Hans. For the Christian, to die is gain, and Hans has surely gotten the better end of the deal. He is basking in the light of God’s presence, utterly shielded …
Continue reading Another Year Closer
A New Yearby J.R. Miller (1840-1912) The ending of a year calls us to thought. It is a good time to take account of our life, to see just how we stand and where. Introspection is not wholesome as a habit of life — but he is living recklessly who never looks into his own …
Continue reading A New Year | J.R. Miller (1840-1912)
How divinely full of glory and pleasure shall that hour be when all the millions of mankind that have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb of God shall meet together and stand around Him, with every tongue and every heart full of joy and praise! How astonishing will be the glory and the joy of that day when all the saints shall join together in one common song of gratitude and love, and of everlasting thankfulness to this Redeemer! -Isaac Watts And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Revelation 5:13
I see you. The one who is grieving this Christmas. You are missing someone today, someone you love. Someone who is gone from your sight. And it hurts. But still you sing. You buy the presents. You smile. You make the cookies. You praise God because He is worthy. And because it is Christmas. And …
I do not believe that Hans will suffer a loss of reward simply because his earthly life was short. His time here was relatively brief, but it was complete; therefore, there was no longer any reason for him to stay among us. Instead, it was ordained of God that Hans should continue his life in …
Continue reading Mission Accomplished
An excerpt from Never Ceasing: God’s Faithfulness in Grief ... So, I must wait, but waiting does not have to mean stagnating. The Lord still has business to conduct in His universe. There are people yet to be born and souls yet to be saved. The time I have left is shorter than it feels; …
Hans spent most of his life right here at home in the house he grew up in. Of course, he went places and did things; he spent his first birthday in California while we were there visiting family. But, other than that, he never left Alaska. He never “got his own place”; never had to …
Continue reading In My Father’s House
We sang ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’ at Hans’s memorial service. Surprisingly, I was able to sing, too, though my heart was splintering into little pieces. It was important to me that I sing that day. I wanted to do it for the Lord. I wanted to do it for Hans. The title of …
Continue reading Streams of Mercy, Never Ceasing
The joy set before us should shine upon our souls as the sun shines through clouds, glorifying them. We should cherish sacredly and tenderly, the memory of our Christian dead but should train ourselves to think of them as in the home of the blessed, with Christ, safely folded, waiting for us. Thus, the bright …
Continue reading The Joy Set Before Us
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 1 John 5:14-15 Every prayer I have ever uttered …
Continue reading According to His Will
"Yet there is a way of remembering sorrow, which brings no blessing, no enrichment which does not soften the heart, nor add beauty to the life. There is an unsubmissive remembering which brings no joy, which keeps the heart bitter, which shuts out the sunshine, which broods over losses and trials. Only evil can result …
Continue reading Unsubmissive Remembering
When just a small boy, God saved Hans from the penalty and power of sin, assuring him a place in Heaven based on faith in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. So, when we say we will see Hans again, our level of assurance is quite high. But what about the parent who does not have …
Continue reading Is My Child in Heaven?
Bouncing around at the base of the hill, across the river that lay frozen between the fireworks techs and us spectators on the dock, was a light. A flashlight. A very bright flashlight. I saw the stream of light widen and play upon the hillside. Then the beam narrowed into a tightly focused square-shaped beam. …
So, how can I be so confident that I will see my son again? Is it because he was “a good boy,” was “never in any trouble,” “was no worse than anyone else?” Is it because his family goes to church every Sunday and Hans never missed a meeting unless he was sick? Is it …
Continue reading The Resurrection and the Life
You Can Trust Him 