By Scott and Kerry Hasenbalg
“And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us through Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:7
How can a man who is suffering great loss, by the world’s standards, such as the death of his own child, really stand and boast of God’s favor and kindness? Because the wealth of God’s favor, was shown to us through the work of his son, Christ Jesus - the forgiveness of our sins and the conquering of death on the cross - allowing us to share in the resurrection from the dead.
But perhaps it is not until a man faces death and realizes his own need of the resurrection from the dead that he can truly be grateful for it or see such heavenly things as God’s great love and favor. It is only when a man faces the death of himself or a part of himself, such as the death of his own child, that he has a desperate enough need of the resurrection, of heaven, and of the reunion of the saints.
It was not until we buried our daughter, Isabella, that we truly understood our own need of the resurrection from the dead. No longer wanting the reunion of the saints but needing it desperately!
No longer just hope but rather confidence in the existence of heaven allowed us to hold our lifeless daughter and not see death – but rather beauty. It is the ministry of Jesus Christ which gives us beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)! And so in our time of ashes and mourning, we yet praise you, O Lord, for the incredible wealth of your favor and kindness towards us! Lord, have mercy upon us now!
Friends and family, thank you ALL for your prayers – words can not adequately express our gratitude and need of them.
Scott & Kerry
My heart goes out to you. In May I experienced a very similar situation, losing our son Elijah just 20 weeks into pregnancy. We had to bury him, and I had a gaping hole in my being. But, in that intense pain, the Lord spoke very clearly to me that the gaping hole in my being MATCHED the gaping hole that orphans feel when they lose their parents. Through that, He led us into orphan ministry with a certain insight because of losing our son. We have written a letter to share with you. Please be on the lookout for it in snail mail. God bless you as your heart heals.
Posted by: Angela Belle | February 19, 2008 at 12:50 PM