The God of All Comfort

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the suffering of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).


As I reflect upon the last 4 1/2 years, these verses have given me new meaning. Losing a child is one of the worst things a parent can go through. I remember at the beginning there were many mornings when Brad and I did not even want to get out of bed. Still to this day, Kyler is who I think about when I fall asleep and I think about him when I wake up. Grief is such a strange thing. Brad, Karsten and I will always grieve over him, but the pain has lessened somewhat. I don't feel guilty anymore for laughing nor do I still cry everyday, but when the tears do come they really fall hard.

God said that we shouldn't be surprised when trials come our way. They are going to come in this life, it's a fact. I know of at least 9 families, 8 of them have lost babies and 1 was a 5 year old just in the past year. They are the Piper's, Kenderdine's, Hasenbalg's, Smith's, Skagg's, Marks', Sponberg's, Larsen's and Chapman's. I do know that all these families are grounded in their faith and they hold on to hope. The verses I listed above mean that through the suffering we endure we can help comfort others who are going through a similar situation. Oh how I pray for these families and ones around the world everyday who are suffering but may have no hope. That's the difference. We who have trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior have the hope and promise of eternal life with Him. The hope of being reunited with our loved ones, the hope of not having to be separated from our children anymore, we have this hope as an anchor.

God has a purpose for each thing He does and gives us. He doesn't want us to become bitter, he wants us to become better, to be more like Him. I think of Steven Curtis Chapman's song, "Not Home Yet," that says, we are not home yet, we are not home yet, keep on looking ahead let your heart not forget we are not home yet. I am so glad this world isn't my home. God has prepared for me a home in heaven someday. As for now, my journey here continues.

In Christ alone,
Jennifer