"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
2 Corinthians 1:3 - 4 NIV
Yesterday, our family said good-bye to a sweet man, Uncle Bryant. I left with a heavy heart and prayers for his six girls, their families, and all those who knew him. Death is reality. Once in the car and driving home, the conversation started. I am thankful for the relationship we have with our daughter. She is comfortable to ask anything and we answer honestly.
Less than ten minutes into our drive home, our poignant daughter asked, "Mom, how come so many people die? How come we have lost so many people in our families?" With nothing but love and honest to share I gave this answer..."I don't know."
Silence...
"Mom, how come everyone reacts differently?"
Silence...
With a silent prayer lifted I gave my best answer. A condensed and paraphrased version, "We are all different as people so we handle death, dying, and grief differently. We have different backgrounds and life instances that make us who we are today. The biggest difference though is our faith. Without God, it's difficult to transition to the next step." This was all I had.
Then a question and comment that returned the tears to my eyes (thank goodness the car was dark) ~ "Mom, You lost Aunt Heidi and so many others in your family. Daddy's family is losing so many now but you still smile and stay positive. How do you do that? It's so hard."
This time, silence from me.
"You are right Mary, it is hard but God called us to share the comfort He's given us with others who hurt. Remember the verse from 2 Corinthians 1? This is our command. God saved me, the least I can do is share this comfort and hope with others. I'm glad you see that in who I am. This is one of the reasons I write and speak, to help others."
Smiles...
"Mom, you should include that verse in your book."
A little chuckle before I respond, "It's on the first page leading into the book, on a page all by itself, on my business cards, and on my website."
More smiles..."I'm glad. I love you Mom."
Have a great Monday and week. Keep communication open.
Less than ten minutes into our drive home, our poignant daughter asked, "Mom, how come so many people die? How come we have lost so many people in our families?" With nothing but love and honest to share I gave this answer..."I don't know."
Silence...
"Mom, how come everyone reacts differently?"
Silence...
With a silent prayer lifted I gave my best answer. A condensed and paraphrased version, "We are all different as people so we handle death, dying, and grief differently. We have different backgrounds and life instances that make us who we are today. The biggest difference though is our faith. Without God, it's difficult to transition to the next step." This was all I had.
Then a question and comment that returned the tears to my eyes (thank goodness the car was dark) ~ "Mom, You lost Aunt Heidi and so many others in your family. Daddy's family is losing so many now but you still smile and stay positive. How do you do that? It's so hard."
This time, silence from me.
"You are right Mary, it is hard but God called us to share the comfort He's given us with others who hurt. Remember the verse from 2 Corinthians 1? This is our command. God saved me, the least I can do is share this comfort and hope with others. I'm glad you see that in who I am. This is one of the reasons I write and speak, to help others."
Smiles...
"Mom, you should include that verse in your book."
A little chuckle before I respond, "It's on the first page leading into the book, on a page all by itself, on my business cards, and on my website."
More smiles..."I'm glad. I love you Mom."
Have a great Monday and week. Keep communication open.
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