All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He
comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When
they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has
given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
~2 Corinthians 1:3-5
Have you ever endured a loss that hurt so deeply that you thought you would not ever recover? On November 17, 1981, my Grampa's time on Earth ended. I was devastated and miss him every single day. I still hear his wisdom and his jokes. But Grampa lived a full, albeit unusual, life. And I have found comfort in that.
During my time in ministry, I have tried to help families who have lost a child. Some were due to accidents; some were due to miscarriages; some were due to SIDS, but they were all beyond tragic. Sadly, one piece of "advice" I had the misfortune to hear over and over was "You're still young. You can try again. Just put this out of your mind and move on." Yes, I heard well-meaning, very sincere people stab the hearts of the mourning families with this counsel. Remember the saying, "If you can't say something nice, then say nothing"?
It has been truly an honor and privilege to have some of these families as personal friends. And I was contacted by one of these Moms recently. She wanted to raise awareness of Child Loss! She wants others to know that they are not alone in this! She is wanting to heal by helping others heal. And THAT is what it means to "Love your neighbor as yourself."
You see, and I've said this before and here it comes again, God does not comfort us to make us comfortable! God comforts us so we can comfort others!
If you or someone you know has had such a loss or needs to begin taking the first step toward healing, let me know. I would like this Mom to be able to make contact. Sometimes the best comfort is knowing you are not alone!
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