“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” — James 4:14
Over the last few days some precious friends of ours had to say goodbye to their baby girl and my heart has been hurting so much for them. I’ve cried many many tears and then found myself wondering why I’m crying. Why am I grieving so deeply when she is no longer suffering, her tiny body is healed and whole and she’s with Jesus? Never have I felt the depth of James 4:14 until now. She was only 6 months old and had already lived such a difficult life. I can’t imagine the grief her parents are feeling and I’ve watched them walk through this so gracefully, leaning into the only one who can truly comfort their aching hearts.
But I still find myself wondering why am I so grieved….because this isn’t the way it was supposed to be. God designed us to be walking with Him, in the garden, never experiencing death or hurt. But sin…the minute man sinned, God’s perfect world fell. Parents were never supposed to bury their children. He knew it would happen and He has provided a way for us to come back to Him and live in eternity with Him but for now in this earth we have the stain of sin. So yes, even though we know she is healed and whole, there is still grief and loss here. We see many accounts in the new testament where parents were grieving the loss of a child and Jesus had compassion on them and healed them. We even see Jesus weep over the death of a saint in John
“Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” John 11:32-36
As I sit here with tears rolling down my cheeks, a broken heart because of the loss of this precious little girl, and this new life growing inside of me I’m reminded that our lives are but a vapor and tomorrow isn’t promised. I’m reminded that it is ok to grieve, as even our savior grieved. I’m reminded to cherish each moment with my husband and 4, soon to be 5, precious gifts He has entrusted me with. I’m thankful for the chance to watch our friends walk through this trial so gracefully and I long for the day when every tear is wiped away and death will no longer taunt us.
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” — Revelation 21:4