Love One Another

In the aftermath of my son Jacob’s death as a result of a car accident, people all around us performed extraordinary acts of kindness that reflected love.  As a family, we were humbled over and over by the actions of people in our community and around the world.  For the most part, these things were being done by people we knew through church, Bible studies and our work.

We often referred to these people who helped as the physical “hands and feet of Christ.”  However, not all of these wonderful people are Christians.  Even so, were they still being the hands and feet of Christ? In my opinion, YES!

It has never been my belief that a person has to be a Christian to act with love and kindness.  Just a quick glance at the world around us proves that Christians are not the only people loving others.  In fact, I’m sad to say, some of the most hurtful things done to people throughout history have been done by Christians.

What is the explanation then for my friend who makes it very clear she has no interest in God but also went to great lengths to have a huge banner made for Jacob’s memorial service with the passage of Scripture from Psalm 24 about “those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob”?  In addition, she had my dog groomed as an act of love at a time when that task was hardly on  my list of priorities, even though the dog desperately needed it!  If I believe that all good and perfect gifts are from above, then it makes sense to also believe that these good and perfect acts of kindness and compassion are from above… even when they come through people who do not believe in God.

Jesus never qualified which mourning people would be comforted.  He simply said, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”  So, even those who deny God will be comforted.  That’s how much He loves people.

Likewise, He doesn’t only send His good and perfect gifts through people who believe.  God will allow His love to flow through anyone He chooses.  All He does is nudge us.  We have the choice whether or not to follow through and do what He has inspired us to do.  Often times, those who don’t know Him or care to know Him respond positively and become a conduit of God’s love.  Other times, people like me, who know Him and love Him, ignore His nudges and withold the good and perfect gifts God has for someone.

Jesus commanded His followers to love one another.  It’s really not an option for those of us who call ourselves Christians; we are to love.  And not just those who love us.  We are told by Jesus to love our enemies.  Our love is supposed to make it clear to those around us that we are Christ’s disciples. We are to resist the devil, and stand firm against his evil ways.  We are to make no room in our lives for Satan, but we are to make room in our hearts to love everyone, including our enemies.

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Carrying Another’s Burdens/How To Help

A journal entry from May, 2007

One of the amazing things I learned through this loss was what it means to carry someone else’s burden. When someone else stood or sat before me and cried over the death of my child, it literally lifted a piece of my grief from me. How that happened I don’t understand, but it happened and I could feel it.

Oh, how it moved me to see someone else shed tears for my son. Somehow I was able to breathe a little easier and the heavy darkness that surrounded me seemed to lift just a bit. Please don’t think your tears will upset the one who is grieving. I felt honored that someone cared that much. When people didn’t cry, it made me wonder if Jacob meant anything to them. I know some people just don’t cry in public, but to see someone who was willing to let down their guard for the loss of my child meant more than words can say. No one was doing me any favors by “holding it together” in my presence. Just to see someone’s eyes tear up touched me deeply.

I can’t even begin to tell you how in awe my daughter, husband and I were when we returned to our home the day after Jacob’s accident to see cars lined up and down the road. People filled our home who just wanted to hug us and tell us they loved Jacob. To see my son’s favorite elementary school teacher standing in my kitchen just about knocked me to the floor. These people not only brought words of love, but food and drinks and offers to help in any way they could.

My dear friend who has the gift of organization and administration began taking people up on their offers to help. She coordinated efforts of all sorts, including having our cars washed and detailed for the funeral. Several large coolers of iced drinks were brought in. Someone even came to the house to pick up our trash because it was overflowing after a few days. Hotel rooms and homes were arranged and donated in order to house dozens of family members who would be arriving from out of town.

Food was coming in left and right, and a neighbor offered her extra refrigerator to store the overflow. A path was worn between our two homes. Believe it or not, one of our dogs was even taken to be groomed during all of this. Friends mopped my floors and washed dishes. They took our dogs out and fed them. Nothing was left undone.

My husband and I didn’t have to answer our phone for days because someone was always at the phone taking messages and putting through only the most important calls. I have a notebook that lists all the different people who called and left a message of love or condolence. Another notebook lists all the flowers/plants we received and who sent them. Friends and people I hardly knew did this all. They just wanted to help.

Something that really touched our hearts were the parents/families that came by who had also lost a child. They knew our pain and they wanted to offer whatever they could to help us. One father was very honest, and I appreciated that so much. He said, “It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” My first thought was that he wasn’t helping me feel better, but then I realized the wisdom in his words. He wanted me to know that it was OK to feel worse as time went on and that I didn’t have to feel good for anyone on any time schedule. How right he was!

Eight months out I still have some days or moments that seem worse than any other day or moment. People we didn’t even know up to that point shared with us parts of their journey, both good and bad. They knew what we were going through, and we were blessed by their presence and words of wisdom and experience.

Another very meaningful thing someone did for us in those first days was to bring blank pages of quality lined paper like you might find in a nice personal journal or diary (not just notebook paper) Each page had “Jacob Memories” printed at the top. As friends and family came by the house, they were encouraged to either fill out a page right there or take one with them to return to us later. A table was also set up in the reception area at Jacob’s memorial service with these pages and a sign with basic instructions. All the pages were able to be placed in a scrapbook. My husband and I have read those pages over and over. They have brought both laughter and tears. What a sweet gift in the midst of heartache and tragedy!

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