One of these sweet little girls died of the flu. It seems so senseless, right? A typically healthy girl, hit with the flu, and all of a sudden she has fluid on her brain because of an extremely high fever caused by the virus. And then she's with Jesus. And her family is left to find a new normal, with hardly any notice.
One little girl went to school with Ellie Kate, or should I say, Ellie Kate went to school with her. She and her sister were popular at Wayland Bonds Elementary, with their beautiful smiles and determined personalities. Even though this sweet one was physically disabled, she was extremely smart and knew exactly what was going on around her. I always stood in awe watching her - she had friends. Real and true friends. She was completely cognitively aware and had the most beautiful curly hair (other than that of my girls, of course).
The first time I met her, I had stocked her momma. Really I had just seen them in the grocery store when I had run in for one item. I could see that both girls were extra special and I wanted to track down that momma and meet her. Her girls seemed close to Ellie Kate's age and I wanted to get to know her as we had just moved from North OKC to Moore. I'm sure I scared that woman to death as I ran up to her in the check-out line, asking all kinds of questions and talking to her beautiful girls. It was an honor to briefly know this little one, and many of our precious friends are close to this family, and are hurting and mourning, yet rejoicing. They are glad the earthly suffering is over. But her sister, friends and parents are left . . . without her, to find their new normal.
One little girl is a dear friend of ours, a dear friend of Ellie Kate's. Kelsy is on hospice and is very close to meeting Jesus face to face. Her little earthly body is failing rapidly, and her family and friends have surrounded her in every possible way. I have no doubt that Kelsy feels loved, safe and secure.
Yesterday, Mike and I had the privilege of going out to Kelsy's house with our precious friend, Holly Hall. Holly runs "Ellie's Legacy", where she takes hospice photos for children like Ellie Kate and Kelsy. Holly did such a beautiful job capturing Kelsy and her family. The giftings God has given to Holly are absolutely incredible, but the fact that Holly allows Christ to use her giftings to love others in this way is really a remarkable thing. Who chooses to go out and take pictures of a dying child; especially one that they do not know? God has given Holly the strength to do it and she does it all so bravely.
Kelsy and her Mommy
You can never be prepared for death
Beautiful, long eye lashes
Holly and I visited today, talking about how bittersweet it is to be involved in these precious hospice pictures. We've done this three times now, and each time has been vastly different, but also very intense. It gets overwhelming sometimes, but it is also an extreme honor. I can honestly say that it is one of the greatest honors of my life. Oh, Father! What a complete privilege this is! Thank you for using us in this way. Give us courage, peace and strength. May you alone be glorified in these sweet endeavors.
Kelsy loved being surrounded by her sisters yesterday
I don't pretend to know exactly how each of these mommas are feeling right now. I have a taste of what they have seen and heard and what they have yet to face in the days, weeks, months and years to come. But it's only a taste and everyone's loss and journey is different (wouldn't life be miserable if we were all the same?!). Even though I don't know exactly how all three are feeling at this moment, I am praying in specific ways. And you know what? YOU can pray for them in specific ways too. Even if you've never suffered loss. Even if you don't have a critically ill child. You can pray for all three women, specifically.
- Ask God to heal their hearts.
- Ask Him to prepare their hearts for the viewings, for the services, for the casket and funeral decisions that Kelsy's mom will soon make.
- Pray that the Lord would bring extreme peace to each heart and that He would capture each thought that isn't of him. When a mom loses a child, her mind can race in a million different directions and it can mourn a million different things at once.
- Pray that the Lord would reign in feelings and that he would oversee every conversation, every word that is said around and over each woman.
You can pray specifically for the families - for the brothers and sisters left behind; for those daddies who mourn not being able to protect their little girls from death (yes, that is something these daddies face). Pray for grandparents, pray for the little friends within these communities who are affected by these great earthly losses. I'm asking you to intercede on behalf of these families who are suffering much.
This world has so much loss and hurt, doesn't it? That's why we need Jesus. And yes, Friends - He DOES give us WAY more than we can handle so that we know that we need Him. These folks have way more than they can handle right now, I am sure of that. And we can ask the Lord to lift their burdens.
How do you handle loss? Who do you go to? With all my heart and with all that I am, I encourage you to go to Jesus. Even if you never have before, cry out to Jesus and He will meet you. It's absolutely not religion, legalism or rules - if it were, I would be the first out the door. What He offers is Freedom. He is the ONLY way to eternal life and abundant life (full, rich) here on earth. There could be nothing more wonderful than that!! These children are in the presence of God. Where will you be when you die?
"And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope."
(I Thess. 4:13)
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