Holding Him Loosely

This past Friday Brandon and I attended a funeral for a sweet 5-year old who, in all our opinions, was taken home much too early. While a grievous occasion for sure and not something you would necessarily want to think on too much, especially while pregnant, I found this little girl's life and death were a great reminder to me as a soon-to-be parent.

Aaron, while under our care, is not really ours. No, he is the Lord's. While I know we are going to love him so very much, I need to constantly remind myself that the Lord loves him with an even greater love. No matter what we experience in raising Aaron, we have to trust that the Lord is working in and through his little life for His glory and that, sometimes, that doesn't always play out the way we would imagine it to be.

I've been reading a few parenting books and came across this quote the day after the funeral:

"While we are to do all we can to present our children to God as faithful, fruitful servants, we must constantly lean on God, realizing it is all by His grace. God enables us, strengthens us, and provides us with wisdom, endurance, and love for our children." - Nancy Wilson, Praise Her in the Gates


Raising Aaron will not be easy; it will not be painless. I'm sure there are times of great trial ahead for us, as we bring him up, ones that will require faith in ways we've never imagined. But God will always sustain us.

This is good to think on, good to bring to remembrance. Our Aaron is ultimately the Lord's and we must be ready and willing to allow the Lord to use his life in any way He sees fit, even if that may mean taking him home before us.

As the little girls' uncle put so perfectly at the funeral, many of us think that a child dying is unfair and too soon, but as we raise our children to love the Lord and seek His kingdom, we must see it as their chance to reach the goal far quicker than any of us. After all, we all long for Heaven. This little one just got to be there sooner. And, while that makes us grieve, her uncle also reminded us that God knows what it's like to loose a child.

You may think: what grim thoughts as you prepare for your son's arrival. I say no; just sobering ones.
I can't wait to be Aaron's mommy but, more than that, I long for him to one day stand in glory and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Learning to hold him loosely and entrust him to our perfect Father.