"A family friend who, like us, lost a teenager in a car accident wrote a tribute to her daughter, Lindsay, in the local paper. One of the most powerful images in her essay was this: After mentioning the many pictures and remembrances of Lindsay she had put around their house, she wrote, "She is everywhere, but nowhere."
Although our daughters still smile back at us from their photos, the spirited personalities that lit up those smiles are nowhere to be found. They are everywhere--in our hearts, in our thoughts, in all those photos--but nowhere.
But Scripture tells us that, in Christ, Lindsay and Melissa are not really nowhere. They are in Jesus's presence, "with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). They are with the One who, in a sense, is "nowhere but everywhere." After all, we don't see God in a physical form. We certainly don't have smiling pictures of Him on our mantel. In fact, if you look around your house, you may think He is nowhere. But just the opposite is true. He is everywhere!
Wherever we go on the Earth, God is there. He's there to guide, strengthen, and comfort us. We cannot go where He is not. We don't see Him, but He is everywhere. In each trial we face, that's incredibly good news."
(Beyond the Valley: Finding Hope in Life's Losses by Dave Branon)
The article I saw posted on X was written by Tim Challies. His son was a 20-year-old college student at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary when he fell unconscious and collapsed to the ground. He also wrote a book called Seasons of Sorrow. The article is titled, "Nick Would Be 25 Years Old Today." There aren't any Bible references in the article, but I hold onto the same promises the author points to. Even though he writes about his son, it applies to anyone who has lost a loved one that's a born-again believer (John 3:1-21).
Challies refers to how his son is beginning to fade into the past and photos of the two of them look a little less familiar and how they are like snapshots of someone else's life rather than his. Wow, how I so feel like that. Clark David is not a stranger to me, but he's so much less familiar than he once was. Challies wrote that his confidence has not wavered because he knows his son exists in his future because of God's salvation. He also mentions "longing for the joy he and I will experience when we can finally throw our arms around one another."
There was one sentence Challies said that I couldn't agree with. "We are grateful that each March 5 without Nick is just a bit easier than the one before." Even though I know what "easier" means I looked it up: a) causing or involving little difficulty or discomfort, b) requiring or indicating little effort, thought or reflection. Maybe there isn't as much discomfort as in the beginning with grueling grief, maybe that's what the author meant. That type of pain lessons, but oh, I still have difficulty and much discomfort. I also have much thought and reflection of Clark David so in that sense it's not easier. There's not a day that goes by that he hasn't entered my mind. The only word that I can come up with to describe it is "different." Each year is different. I do have peace and am incredibly grateful for the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
"Nick Would Be 25 Years Old Today" link below
https://www.challies.com/articles/my-son-would-be-25-years-old-today/
Last night I heard Toby Mac's song for the first time, Heaven on My Mind. There was a sentence I couldn't agree with. "Life ain't bad down here." Maybe like Challies he's coming from a different perspective and maybe we would be on the same page if I heard his perspective. Maybe he means life's not all bad because he didn't say "all" bad. Maybe those words didn't fit well with the rhythm. Yes, life is good, but there is so much bad down here. Clark David is in Heaven with Jesus, and I wouldn't want him back in this wicked world. I'm beyond grateful for the blood of Jesus that covers all sin. I'm grateful for grace through faith alone that can bring salvation to anyone who believes (Ephesians 2:8-9). One day the Lord is coming back, and He will make all that's wrong and evil in the world, right.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLARK DAVID HEATON
I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU DEARLY
We (Chad, Tucker/Maddy, Tess/DJ and I) spent Wednesday night together remembering you and had homemade buffalo wings and raspberry cheesecake (your recipe). You are always in our hearts until we see you again.
Set your minds on things that are above:
