Son's Death & God's Grace | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Son's Death & God's Grace | Previous Challenge Entry
By Pamela Reed
09/05/13
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As young parents do, we planned for the life that we thought would be ahead of us. Although never said in our children’s hearing as we wished that they made their own decisions, we planned for four grandchildren. Two from our oldest son and two from our youngest would fulfill the dreams that we had for our family’s future generations.

As much as we contemplated the present and future, nothing prepared our hearts and minds for the early phone call that we would receive one Easter morning. It woke us. As I reached for the phone, thinking it was a call from one of the boys letting us know what time they were planning to arrive to celebrate the holiday, I smiled as I thought about last Easter. As adults, I assumed that Easter gifts were unnecessary. Our oldest son, Bob, firmly let us know that we were incorrect! This year would be different as the gifts were already in place. We were ready for their arrival.

Our youngest son had married first and we had two grandchildren on that fateful Easter morning. Our oldest son and his wife were both in college and still childless. The voice on the other end of the phone was Bob’s wife, in tears, begging for us to come quickly to their home. Half way, on the phone, we learned that Bob’s life was over; he was gone. How could we lose a supposedly healthy 23 year old child? Crying out to God “Why? Why do we have to endure this? How could you allow this to happen to our family?”

One of our greatest strengths was the concern and support of our community. We were told that it was one of the largest funerals in our area and it was attributed to his young age. The largest church was full including the entry and the sidewalks surrounding the building during the service. Many kept in close contact and supported us in the months and years to follow.

Grieving was a long and painful process. For over a year I was on an “auto pilot mode.” I smiled when it was socially acceptable to smile and laughed when I was supposed to laugh. I learned to never ask “How are you doing?” to anyone who has recently lost a loved one.

But even in our weakened state, we received God’s grace which means “unmerited favor.” Our family received that grace when it seemed too late and all was lost.

Our younger son was never aware of our “grandchild plan” and we certainly were not going to bring it up after Bob’s death, but as time went on he and his wife decided to have two more. God had fulfilled our dream of four grandchildren, but He wasn’t done yet. Although our son was satisfied, his wife was not. She begged him for “just one more.” He stood steadfast for quite some time, but then came up with a plan. His offer was to wait for two years (as he hoped that she would change her mind in that time). If after two years she was still insistent on having one more child, they would go ahead with her wish to try for one more.

She never changed her mind, and after two years had passed baby number five was on her way. She is a bubbly, blond haired girl and is a delight to every person that meets her. We now have five perfect grandchildren. That is our story and we are sticking to it! When our son tries to correct our way of thinking, we quickly set him straight. I believe that he has given up on correcting us.

Life is not always easy. Many times a crisis will come without notice. Like ours, a phone call early on Easter morning changed every single thing in our reality. But I want to proclaim to the world that God is faithful and will surround and support and heal us through all the treacherous roads that life forces us to travel. To place ourselves in His comforting hands in the tough times will allow us to rest in His peace, His love, and His healing. We asked for four grandchildren, and although we thought that life had taken away any and all opportunity to have four; in His overflowing abundance, He gave us five. Yes, we are a family blessed with the grace of our Loving Father. Praise the name of the Lord!

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