Suffering is hard but it won’t last forever. “He will wipe 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.” Revelation 21:4 NIV

I will confess: I’m no better at this than the first set of holidays after Dominic ran ahead to Heaven. Every. Single. Year. has brought changes and challenges on top of the empty chair round the family table.

I no longer feel betrayed.   I still don’t like this life. I would never have chosen this life.   But I will trust the One Who made me to carry me through it.

We enter this world when we leave our mother’s womb. That is the beginning. But our lives never end.  We are eternal beings, created in the image of God, destined to spend forever with Him-IF we receive the gift of redemption made possible by the blood of Christ Jesus.

I will be eternally grateful for God's amazing grace!

I don’t know your story but I can promise you this: God isn’t finished with you yet. I believe that each one of us is celebrated as a unique creation of our Father. That goes for our children, but also for us. I have no idea why God’s plan includes me outliving my child but He has a purpose that is yet unfulfilled for my life. What happens TO us doesn’t determine our worth-not even the awful and heart shattering experience of child loss.

There is NO way to balance losing my son with any earthly blessing. I have my other children.  Yes, but I had them when I still had him.  I have my health (sort of).  Yes, but I had it when I still had him.  I have a home, freedom, food-yes, yes, yes.  But all that I had when I still had him. So you see, I can’t make it balance out.  No one can. But there is a kernel of truth in this hymn.  And it’s not in trying to pile up one side and weigh it against the other.

I'm so thankful that when the darkness is all I can see, the Lord brings people (and His own precious Presence) to remind me that light still exists.

When my heart was shattered, my hope hanging on by a thread, the Spirit of God brought truth to mind and gave me the strength to hold on.

Heaven will not simply be rest after a long life’s struggle. It will be restoration, redemption, recreation and resurrection.

I am so, so thankful that the God I serve loves me. He specifically, purposefully loves me with unconditional love.

God does not always intervene. But He always comes alongside. He always offers comfort and promises that grief doesn’t last forever.

Life often devastating filled with circumstances. That’s the bad news. But we don’t have to face them alone. That’s the good news.

My heart can forget the truth when life falls apart. It's then I must remind it that God is faithful and His love endures forever.

So much of this battle has been fought in my mind. Really, even more than my heart. What I dwell on makes a difference.

Christ came for the broken.  It’s the broken and breathless who long for the Spirit to blow life across their wounded hearts.

God's existence, and His character does not depend on my understanding.  To be frank, a God I comprehend wouldn’t be much of a God at all.