Heartfelt Words From People Who Have Lost A Child

We at The Bottom Line, Ministries, suffered some great tragedies among our family and friends this past week, one of them being the death of a son. I post heartwarming articles on Monday, but I wondered how in the world could I post such an article at this time, or should I? After some prayer, my mind was directed to websites designed to console grieving parents. From these come the following quotes:

“A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses  wife is called a widower. A child who loses both parents is called an orphan. There is no word for a parent who loses a child.” Jay Neugeboren, “An Orphan’s Tale” 1976

“The only people who think there’s a time limit for grief, have never lost a piece of their heart. Take all the time you need.”

“Child loss is not an event, it is an indescribable journey of survival.” Out of Ashes/FB

“My child died. I don’t need advice. All I need is for you to gently close your mouth, open your heart, and walk with me until I can see in color again.” Angela Miller

If you are a grieving parent I hope you have found emotional support in these words from those who have been there. Too often people ask, “How is the family holding up?” They obviously have never lost a child. Even Jesus grieved.  John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” This is the shortest verse in the entire Bible, but it is in the context of someone losing a son.

Call upon God during this time. Psalm 46:1 is a reminder that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” He knows what it is like to lose a child. He watched his only begotten Son, Jesus, die on a cross over 2,000 years ago.

The heartwarming part of this is found in John 11:25-26. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” If you know someone who recently lost a child, what can you do to allow them to grieve but still show them you care?