On Mother's Day Evening 2013, Jonathan Campbell Hamilton, son of Ron and Shelly Hamilton, was taken to Heaven at the age of thirty-four after a long struggle with mental illness. I have heard Mr. Hamilton sing Rejoice in the Lord countless times over many years but never knew until recently about the loss of his … Continue reading Rejoice in the Lord
child loss
Let it Come
When you are sitting there alone and you are weeping, and the longing for your child is a thick and expanding heaviness in your chest threatening to erupt from your throat in silent, choking grief. When the missing him becomes a mountain of sadness that is looming over you and you whisper your child's name … Continue reading Let it Come
Anton Chekhov | Grief
I was deep into a collection of short stories written by Anton Chekhov when I turned the page and was confronted with a story entitled Grief. I briefly considered skipping it, but I am so glad I didn't. Mr. Chekhov understands a bereaved parent's compelling need to talk about their loss. Every public domain site I … Continue reading Anton Chekhov | Grief
As Time Goes By
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
It is Raining
It is raining As if nothing has happened It is raining And the trees stand there As they have for centuries Watching me and remembering Sympathetic But unhelpful They've seen this sort of thing before A mother Weeping There are little leaves on the rose bushes Who will graduate into adult leaves That will never … Continue reading It is Raining
Strengthened According to His Word: Part Two
The Blessings of Sound Doctrine (Part two of a three-part series) Doctrine: "Act of teaching or that which is taught; scriptural teaching on theological truths." https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/doctrine/ It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Psalm 119:71 Sound doctrine protects the griever from error and deception and from a potential spiral into … Continue reading Strengthened According to His Word: Part Two
Strengthened According to His Word: Part One
The Blessings of Sound Doctrine (Part one of a four-part series) Doctrine: "Act of teaching or that which is taught; scriptural teaching on theological truths." https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/doctrine/ My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. Psalm 119:28 One of the potential positives of bereavement is the opportunity it provides for a healthy examination of … Continue reading Strengthened According to His Word: Part One
No Words
“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 is one of … Continue reading No Words
Another Day Closer
It’s not that sorrow wears off, or grieving gets easier. It’s just that you come to an awareness that sorrow is not getting you anywhere. Slowly, you realize your tears will not bring your child back. The churning rawness begins to level off, not because the pain is less, but because you become too worn … Continue reading Another Day Closer
Trusting Him Through the Tears
Guest Post by Missy Hinton My friend Missy Hinton shares with us today the reason for her hope. She reminds us we can trust what God says simply because it is He Who said it. The Truth of God's Word is not in any way altered by our circumstances or by what we are feeling. … Continue reading Trusting Him Through the Tears
But God Got His Son Back
Some among the bereaved feel that, because Jesus rose from the dead, God the Father did not experience the grief one associates with child loss or that the death of His Son, Jesus, was easier for Him because of His foreknowledge of the Resurrection. Was God’s pain less than mine? It humbles me to think … Continue reading But God Got His Son Back
Forgetting
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; Isaiah 49:15-16 There are things about Hans I will never forget for as long as … Continue reading Forgetting
Why?
Why?... Yes, there is sin in the world, and death and suffering, and so it will be until Jesus comes back. But Why me? many want to know. Why my child? The answer to that question is far too complex for us to understand. I do not think, in any loss, the answer could be simple, … Continue reading Why?
The Death of Children | George Mylne, 1871
Have you lost a child? Whether son or daughter, infant or of riper years, it is much the same — in any case, a portion of yourself is gone. How sharp the visitation! How short its work! The grave has opened and has closed again; yet closed it not before it received its tenant — … Continue reading The Death of Children | George Mylne, 1871
Re-Post: What Is This Thing Called Faith?
Faith must have as its object something bigger than self. Bigger than anyone or anything. Faith must trust in something bigger than death. There is no point in having a lot of faith in something little. Click here to read the whole thing.
