The Gift (Day 3 from an untitled collection)

 

          I want to speak to all of you that have lost a child; it doesn’t matter if it was by miscarriage I want you to know God has not forgotten about your loss and he has not dismissed your grief, but he does want to heal your heart form the longing to hold your baby in your arms.  It’s that emptiness that causes you so much pain not allowing you to move past your grief. Isaiah 49:15 says, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son [child] of her womb.” Then God goes on to say to you, “. . . I will not forget you. See I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.” Your spouse, children, or other family members may appear to forget and not even see your pain, but God does; and he wants to take your grief, not your memories, and replace it with a joy you cannot contain. Though the scripture is not cut and dry on this I believe with all my heart that we will see our babies when we reach our heavenly home. King David made reference to such after Bathsheba miscarriage of their son by saying, “. . . I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” Many feel he was referring to the gravesite others use this scripture to comfort the parents after the loss of their baby. Perhaps that is something we will not know with certainty until we enter heaven ourselves, but I believe our babies  had life from the moment of conception, “For you [Adonai, Hebrew word for God] knit me together in my mother’s womb. .Your eyes could see me as an embryo. .” (Psalms 139:13,16 CJB); and again in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I separated you for myself. . .” (CJB) Our precious babies were completely innocent, without sin, and defiled in any way; they were alive, growing inside us, and then to no fault of our own they died, and I believe are now with their heavenly Father in heaven.

            When I worked at a cemetery for a few years we held a special service in the chapel for the parents and family members that had lost their son and daughters that were not given to them for burial; it was a beautiful service and a chance for them to say goodbye. Our last service was on a very stormy night, for the closing of the service everyone wrote their baby's name on a card that was then tied to eight balloons. The rain had stopped so we went outside to release them, because the wind was still blowing heavily they got hung up on the flagpole, and I had to call someone for help. As he released the balloons from the pole two came lose and moved out in front of the others caring the cards with the names on them. Then the most remarkable thing happened, the two stayed in front, as if they were escorting the others, on a path like a large spiral staircase until they were out of sight. We just stood there in wonder watching it unfold before us, and each one that was there believed God had accepted our offering into his loving arms.

            If you’re hurting right now from such a loss let me pray with you; “Heavenly Father, we know you knew this beautiful baby while it was being formed in its mothers’ womb, and that you fashioned its days when yet there were none of them. I ask you now to remove the longing in this mother's arm to hold her baby in her arms and set her free from the grief that holds her captive. Father, as she releases her baby to you, know that she is entrusting her heart to you as well.  Return to her the joy she has lost and put a song in her heart that one day she will see her baby again. In Jesus' name, we pray.”

            Always remember children are a gift from God, and He has their name written on the palm of His hand.