Over the past couple of days I've had the extremely difficult experience of coping with the loss of my 29 year old nephew who passed away this past Sunday night/Monday morning for unknown reasons. I'll leave out the details as they are irrelevant to the real lessons that we're learning as we go.
The primary thing just a couple of days into this experience is how extraordinary the body of Christ is at a time like this and how irreplaceable family is.
The body of Christ has come around us and has given us support, understanding, tolerance and encouragement.
The family has rallied to remind one another that as hard and painful as this experience is, it is not the sum total of the life of my lost nephew. We have many great memories that we're sharing and commitments that we're making to love each other more intentionally as the future weeks, months and years unfold.
I've often preached the urgency of valuing every day as a gift and when something like this hits so close to my own heart, I find my own words are difficult, but still true.
Thanks for your prayers during my processing of this time of loss and yet hopefulness.
Blessings,
Dr. Jay
Praying, truly praying.
ReplyDeleteEd V