I read a book last evening that a friend lent me and came across the following. We've had several people in our church family lose loved ones to death the last few months. This helps me to pray more specifically for them in their bereavement.
"Understanding Bereavement"
Christians who have the hope of eternal life can be confident that they will spend eternity with their Christian loved ones. That is an incredible source of strength and comfort. Even so, this hope does not eliminate the pain and grief of the present moment.
When Pastor Rick Taylor's young son Kyle died, there came a time when he spoke these touching words from his heart: "Kyle is dead. He is gone. I will never see my precious son grow up. I will never throw the football with him again. I will never again help him learn how to grip a bat or clap for joy because he hit a ball. I will never again sit by his side and read to him at bedtime. I will never again go for walks with him and hear him growing up as he talks with me. I will never see the man he would have become."
The same kinds of feelings are present when a spouse dies. "The day-to-day reality faced by the widow is that she will never again be held by her husband in this life. They will never again hold hands as they take strolls under autumn skies. They will never again joke and laugh or hurt and cry together. They will never again watch the sunset together. They will never again lie beside each other in bed and talk together and love together."
This is the pain of bereavement. It is not just the fact that someone has died. It is the fact that in this world we will never again do the most precious and dear things with the person who has died. It is a hurt that wounds the heart like no other hurt.
from The Undiscovered Country:
Exploring the Wonder of Heaven and the Afterlife
Exploring the Wonder of Heaven and the Afterlife
by Ron Rhodes
