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My wife and I have two children. Nathan is five and Hannah is three. We have a third child, Seth, who is due later this month. On September 18th we learned that Seth has Down Syndrome. We knew the odds for Downs increase a couple grows older, but we were not at all ready for this diagnosis. We had already been dealing with some developmental issues with one of our other kids, and so we were especially hurt/grieved/angry/disappointed on hearing this news. For the last couple of months (and the last couple of years, really), I have been thinking about what it means to grieve and how little we in the American church know how to comfort those who are grieving. As a pastor, part of my role is to (try to) bring comfort and hope to those who are troubled. But having lived a bit as one who needs comforted, I have a little different perspective. Over the next couple of months or so, I would like to engage this topic a bit and I would love to hear your thoughts and stories...to be continued.... |
Comments
Mike,
I was very saddened when I heard you talk about this in one of your recent sermons (I listen to the podcast weekly). I'm very sorry. I'm interested to be a part of these conversations and seeing where this goes.
Jesse
I find myself faced with the challenge of grieving with hope on a daily basis. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the matter and will pray for you and your family as you travel this journey...
One hesitates to comment about another's grief, since each experience is so personal and intimate. Each of us imagines that no-one else can really understand what we are going through, and we're right. We can only stand with you, pray for you and occasionally offer some word of comfort or support.
One of the men I admire a great deal lost his wife some years back. He said that when she died he was overwhelmed with grief. The grief never really went away, but it did come to be mixed with joy as the Lord continued to work in his life and in the life of people around him. He told me that it was a great lesson to learn that grief and joy are not at all incompatibe, but naturally go together.
doc
Mike, what courage you have to open your heart like this. I'm humbled and will continue to pray for you and your dear family as you go through this journey together. Like the rest of the Conversant community, I look forward to reading your thoughts. May they stir us all to both reflect and to act, and to be a source of encouragement even as we are encouraged.
Mike -
We love you & Justina so much!! I hope that we can walk with you in this journey. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Kristen
I am sorry and saddened to hear about your "somewhat" recent diagnosis. Many prayers and thoughts. As for the study, it is always interesting and intense to dwell on this subject because it is never a place that people want to be for a long time. I took a class at Biola in the advanced studies of Job, and it was interesting during that time that my parents where are still are going through some struggles, and death did come to our family, and it seemed to make the story so much more real and true. It is not an easy book to read, but real life struggles are not easy to go though either. Again, sorry to hear, and God can bring glory through all things...
thank you for sharing this with us. I can't imagine what it's like to go through what you're going through.