The Sorrow Gap

This week a family at our church lost their 15 month old baby boy, baby Henry, and so today I'd like to start out by saying my heart goes out to them, and I think I've prayed for them at least 3 times today already. Their loss causes all of us to recalibrate, stop for a moment and ask ourselves, what are we doing here? If life can be so short, how are we redeeming the time to make every second count? What's the point? How can God allow such pain and loss?

This past summer I read a book, Heaven is for Real, and today I'm so glad to have that story under my belt. It's a story about a little boy who has an experience during a traumatic surgery, and afterwards (about a year later) he starts gradually telling his parents about seeing Jesus. Then he starts to tell them about heaven and the others he saw there, including his miscaried sister he never knew about. Now, I don't claim to know if that little boy really went to heaven or not, but the book gave me chills. I already knew heaven was real from reading the Bible, but the book brings Biblical descriptions of heaven to life through the eyes of a 4 year old little boy, which was just too real for me. I have a 4 year old little girl. By the end of the book I actually was able to think about the possibility of one of my children passing from this life. This time I wasn't immediately filled with fear or horror. This time as I was think about the possibility of their passing it was more from a spiritual point of view, and I pictured them walking towards Jesus and sitting in his lap. They hold on to his big strong hands and feel complete peace. He loves them even more than mommy loved them. Their spirits are fulfilled and complete to be with him that day, no matter how old they are, and they start singing to him. They sing all of the beautiful praise songs to Him with their sweet voices just like we practiced.

I'm not trying to be morbid or too heavy, but I am trying to be real. Heaven is for real. Death is real, and eternal life can be real. The gapping hole that grief and sorrow leaves in our souls can only be filled by the abundant love of Christ, and by the hope we have of eternal life with Him someday.

If you haven't given your life to Christ please don't wait another minute. How do you know how many more you have? Read your Bible and learn more of God's unending love for you. Let Him show you what Love is and define your purpose.

My mom used to sing that song "I'll fly away"...and it's been on my mind this week.....

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

[I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).