Gratitude Amidst Grief
November 28, 2024 — Gary and Laura House
Even in the middle of grief, there is much to be grateful for. It may be hard to recognize when your loss is new, but down the road, we hope you’ll find these statements to be true in your life, as they are in ours.
We are thankful that the Lord is carrying us and that He will never leave us. Often, grieving parents share with us that they can’t feel, see, or hear the Lord, and some feel abandoned by Him. The reality is that God has never left you…it’s grief that is obstructing your view. For many, grief is like wearing dark glasses that don’t allow anything to be seen but darkness. As you travel further down the road, the glasses become lighter, and you’ll be able to see how God was holding you throughout the whole journey.
We are thankful that the Lord loves our children even more than we do! This one is a bit difficult to imagine because we love our kids with our whole being. As we consider this truth, we realize that although we had the privilege of being Nathan’s parents, we didn’t create him. He is the Lord’s. God loves our children with a love that we cannot fathom…and He loves us that way too.
We are thankful that the Lord chose us to be our child’s parents. Whether you only knew them before they were born into Heaven, or if you had them here for many years, it’s such an honor that they were entrusted to you.
We are thankful that God invites us to lament. Throughout our suffering, we are invited to cry out to the Lord. If you have not realized the gift of lament, take some time to view these messages and discover the beautiful opportunity afforded to us. (Mark Vroegop & Jim Beardsley)
We are thankful that God creates “beauty from ashes.” Only God could take the most painful suffering of child loss and amidst our grief, create something new and beautiful in our lives. God can restore our joy and give us purpose and fulfillment and a closer intimacy with Him.
We are thankful for the spiritual understanding that comes from suffering. Before child loss, many of us didn’t pay enough attention to the prominent theme of suffering in the Bible. Now it’s obvious. And now we have an understanding of how suffering can mold and shape us into who we should be.
We are most thankful for the promise of eternity. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, anyone who believes in Him will spend eternity with Him. We look forward to that day and we also look forward to being reunited with our son and others who have gone to Heaven before us. Our earthly lives are short and prepare us for our real lives of eternity.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving with family and friends this week, and are missing your sweet child, remember that your Heavenly Father loves you with a love that surpasses all understanding. He has you. You can trust Him.
Romans 8:37-39 — ”No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 John 3:1a — “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
