grieving with hope

Sometimes without even knowing it, children can teach us great truths from God's words. The child may not even know this truth, but the sovereign Lord can use anything he wishes to proclaim this truth. I was reminded of this the other day when talking with my 4 year old son, Roman. 

 

Out of the blue the other day Roman asked me how I knew baby Marvel wasn't in my tummy anymore but was in heaven. He asked it so bluntly and took my answer with such assurance. He didn't question it, just paused to think and went on with his day. You see  this question brought me back to when we had explained to him that the baby inside my tummy was no longer alive, but was with Jesus in heaven.  When we told him the news he was sad, had questions, and made comments like I wish I could have met the baby or held the baby. Those all were obvious reactions, ones we had expected. However what we didn't expect was the responses that followed in the next days, weeks, and even months after we lost Marvel. On several occasions he made comments like baby Marvel is in heaven, or baby Marvel is waiting for us. He would make those comments with such confidence and assurance, and HOPE. 

His reactions made me think of the verse in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep." You see he was sad, but he had hope. Hope that Marvel was with Jesus and the words God has spoken are true.

This thought encourages me in two ways. 

1. It is ok to grieve over things that grieve the Lord, and death is one of those. 

2. It is also ok to have hope in the midst of suffering. Sometime guilt can take over and we feel that we need to be sad and not go on with life because of a tragedy. And while there definitely needs to be room for healthy grief and time to process, life shouldn't remain like that forever. In our suffering the Lord is doing something. The Lord sustained me during our loss and gave me the grace to get through and actually be present in the moments. He gave me hope that my baby was in heaven, that I was going to be ok, and that he was working in my heart in the midst of heartache and pain and he was doing something sweet and even more so his glory to be revealed will far outweigh any pain or suffering I could face in this life.