Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Death of the Little Ones...
Okay, so I just finished the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" I was challenged to read this book by a girl named Samantha Hineman who went to our church. "Sammy" was such an amazing person. I did not get to know her that well just in passing at church when I saw her and her family. Sammy was confined to a wheel chair and had some health problems. Earlier this year Sammy passed away at a very young age. Her family and friends were devastated, who wouldn't be?
Just about a month ago some friends of mine from college, lost their infant son just a couple of days after his birth. I'm sure that they were and are devastated by their loss. As most of you know Courtney (my wife) and I lost one of our sons just seven days after birth. Corey Payton Long passed away on April 16, 1999.
We had no idea what to do or how to handle the situation. It was something that we had never dealt with in our lives and to be honest didn't know anyone else that had dealt with this type of loss. As parents we all feel like we should out live our children. So when a child passes away we ask the normal questions of "why?" I contacted one of my college professors and as we talked via email about some of these situations he offered a piece that he had written where he went through all of scripture and explained unfortunate events or circumstances that had happen to people in scripture. I would like to share just a short portion of what this professor had to say...
"Finally, there is John and the vision God gave him of a new heaven and earth which will replace this sin-marred and grief-stricken one. Once again God will dwell with men as in the original Paradise. Of all of John's descriptions of this glorious future God has prepared, none is more comforting than this glimpse. 'He will wipe away 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.' Today we all say with John, 'Amen, come Lord Jesus.' Both the Old and New Testament provide a consistent message regarding the source and significance of suffering in this world. So the choice is ours. We can shake our fist in God's face or wander in a wilderness of doubt and despair. Or we can humbly accept what He has revealed and trust Him even where He hasn't given us all the insights into life's mysteries we might crave. God showed us His true character in the person of His son, Jesus. I choose to trust the God who paid the penalty for my sins and then conquered death to grant me the hope of eternal life in His presence. How about you?"
Let me say as I close that it never get's easy to watch a young child pass away. It has been just over ten-years since Corey passed away and its gotten a little easier but there are still times that I break down and weep over him. I try to remember that "to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord" but that is sometimes easier remembered than practice. I do know that I'm hoping to seen him again one day and look forward to our reunion.
Just about a month ago some friends of mine from college, lost their infant son just a couple of days after his birth. I'm sure that they were and are devastated by their loss. As most of you know Courtney (my wife) and I lost one of our sons just seven days after birth. Corey Payton Long passed away on April 16, 1999.
We had no idea what to do or how to handle the situation. It was something that we had never dealt with in our lives and to be honest didn't know anyone else that had dealt with this type of loss. As parents we all feel like we should out live our children. So when a child passes away we ask the normal questions of "why?" I contacted one of my college professors and as we talked via email about some of these situations he offered a piece that he had written where he went through all of scripture and explained unfortunate events or circumstances that had happen to people in scripture. I would like to share just a short portion of what this professor had to say...
"Finally, there is John and the vision God gave him of a new heaven and earth which will replace this sin-marred and grief-stricken one. Once again God will dwell with men as in the original Paradise. Of all of John's descriptions of this glorious future God has prepared, none is more comforting than this glimpse. 'He will wipe away 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.' Today we all say with John, 'Amen, come Lord Jesus.' Both the Old and New Testament provide a consistent message regarding the source and significance of suffering in this world. So the choice is ours. We can shake our fist in God's face or wander in a wilderness of doubt and despair. Or we can humbly accept what He has revealed and trust Him even where He hasn't given us all the insights into life's mysteries we might crave. God showed us His true character in the person of His son, Jesus. I choose to trust the God who paid the penalty for my sins and then conquered death to grant me the hope of eternal life in His presence. How about you?"
Let me say as I close that it never get's easy to watch a young child pass away. It has been just over ten-years since Corey passed away and its gotten a little easier but there are still times that I break down and weep over him. I try to remember that "to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord" but that is sometimes easier remembered than practice. I do know that I'm hoping to seen him again one day and look forward to our reunion.
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