Grief, Memory and Hope. How one couple trusts in Christ even when they lose their son.

I was moved this morning when I read Happy Birthday Paul. It says:

Two years ago our baby boy Paul was still-born. It was the worst day of our lives. No words can describe the shock, the agony, and the pain of that day and the days following. We got to hold him, but for such a short time. We told him we loved him a thousand times. Then we buried him in the ground. And with his little casket we felt like we had buried our joy and our future.

They have written several times about their son. Their testimony during and after this trial points us to a faithful savior. These are very personal and heartfelt accounts of their grief, memory and hope. They do not forget and they do not blame. I see in their reflections a godly family who trusts Christ - even in their pain. This is deep rooted and has grown from years of treasuring Christ and his Word. Trials and suffering reveal where our real hope is resting. We should thank God for believers like Mark and Stephanie.

I was reminded of God's kindness to us as parents. None of us deserve (or should demand) these gifts from God we call children. It is difficult not to hold them tightly as my own. I am reminded that my little ones belong to God. They conclude their post in hope:

Two years ago we buried our joy and our future with our firstborn son. Today we realized God has restored our joy, and sustained our faith. Today we know that part of our future is there, but it is not a joyless future. Today we looked forward to the day when Christ returns and resurrects baby Paul's little body from the earth, for "we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed--in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor. 15:52-54).

See also:

• Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Happy Birthday Paul
  
• Monday, April 10, 2006 Happy Birthday Paul - we miss you
• Wednesday, July 20, 2005 To Clarify....
• Tuesday, July 05, 2005 Song for Paul

Do you really want God to be in control?

When God sends trials how do you respond? It can take me weeks (or years) to acknowledge the wisdom of God. Things like lost keys, broken toilets, and burnt spaghetti show what is really in my heart. In those moments my idolatry is exposed.

Here is a little article by Paul Tripp where he works out the same struggle. It helps me to see that God is working in life's trials. He shows that life's problems only reveal our deeper spiritual problems. He confesses:

But I've had to face the fact once again that I don't want God to be sovereign, I want to be. And there are moments when I don't want to be made holy. I would much rather have life be predictable and comfortable, thank you. I don't want to experience the hardships of uncomfortable grace even though I know I still need to grow and change.

So, once again I've confessed to the idolatry that is behind my anger. I've confessed how much I worship at the altars of comfort and control. And I've prayed that some day, by God's powerful and patient grace, that I'd be on the other side of the border where I'd treasure God's work of grace inside of me more than I treasure the ease of the world outside of me. I'm not there yet, but I'm closer than I was last year. How about you?

For more wise counsel visit Paul's blog here.

Scripture and Christian Counseling

"On The Sufficiency of Scripture in a Therapeutic Culture"
A Resolution Adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention
St. Louis, Missouri
June 2002
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists are committed to the authority, sufficiency, and relevance of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15-17); and
WHEREAS, The Bible teaches that human beings are created in the image of God—made by Him, like Him, and for Him (Genesis 1:27-28)—and that because of sinful rebellion against the Creator, our entire being suffers from sin's corruption (Genesis 3:6-19; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Romans 1-3); and
WHEREAS, All aspects of our lives—including our spiritual, moral, and psychological conditions—are to be informed and governed by the application of and obedience to Holy Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:31); and
WHEREAS, In this therapeutic culture, physicians and counselors often ignore human sin and its effects, neglect our most fundamental human and spiritual needs, and therefore, misunderstand our condition, mistreat our problems, and sometimes unintentionally do more harm than good; and
WHEREAS, An uncritical acceptance of the therapeutic culture too often has infected our pulpits, ministries, and counseling (Colossians 2:8); and
WHEREAS, Our churches often have neglected our God-ordained responsibility for the care and cure of souls, becoming practically ineffective, both marginalizing ourselves from the culture and being marginalized by the mental health establishment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, June 11-12, 2002, affirm Christian counseling that relies upon the Word of God rather than theories that are rooted in a defective understanding of human nature (John 17:17); and be it further
RESOLVED, That we affirm that any method worthy of the name "Christian counseling" must address the root of our problems and reveal the crux of God's solution—the redemptive work of Christ and the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God, by which the depths of sin and the fullness of grace are made known (Hebrews 4:12-16); and be it further
RESOLVED, That, while we affirm that there are real conditions that warrant legitimate medical treatment, we reject the assumptions of the therapeutic culture that offer a pharmacological solution for every human problem; and be it finally
RESOLVED, That we call on all Southern Baptists and our churches to reclaim practical biblical wisdom, Christ-centered counseling, and the restorative ministry of the care and cure of souls.