He gave us Jesus

I spoke about my Mom today. About how courageous she was in facing death because of the peace she had in her Savior. About my own journey of navigating her cancer diagnosis, her death, and then learning to live without her. It is weighty. Some days far more than others. And that is ok because it beckons me to the Savior she loved. And the Savior I love and adore.

I do not know why hard, unimaginable things happen. Why several friends have experienced the deep pain of miscarrying. Why parents have to bury their children. Why cancer robs a family of a parent when they are in the prime of their lives. Or any other grief. I do not have answers. But what I do know is that our God is a good, good Father and He protects us far more than we will ever realize. I have experienced so much joy in my grief journey just by believing that God is good and He is for me and that I am so desperately loved. And that it is ok to grieve. It is ok to be raw and transparent before the God who knows me so intimately.

Help those hurting just by remembering. Remember that date on a calendar that they dread all year long. The one that brings memories and emotions that make it hard to breathe. Come alongside them and just be present. Let them know that you have not forgotten. That can make all the difference in those hard moments.

 "If God did not withhold from us His very own Son (Romans 8:32), will He withhold anything we need? He gave us Jesus. If we have only one memory, isn't this one enough?" (Ann Voskamp)