One of my friends lost his 16 year old son yesterday in a car accident. We all know there are things in life that just shouldn't happen: the child dying before the parent, the parent dying while the child is young. Horrible, heart-shattering events that everyone worries about, and prays never happen. I don't know what I would do in such a situation, how I would react, cope. Ever since I heard the news of this young boy's death, the same story keeps running through my mind and I wanted to share it. I can't credit where I heard the story. I only remember the point of the story, none of the details. I've searched online and asked a few friends if they've ever heard it. If you have, and you know where it originated, please share.
The story goes something like this:
A day comes that a woman's daughter is taken by death. The child is young, say 6 years old. The mother cries out to God "Lord! Why have you taken my beloved child from me?" The Lord comes to her gently, "It was my child's time to come home to me." The mother repeats: "But why, Lord? Why would you make me want this child so badly? Why would you give me time to love my daughter so completely? Why would you take my beloved child from me?" And God says to her "If I had told you before placing this child in your womb that you would love the girl, that she would be your greatest joy; and then I had told you that I would take her away after 6 years, would you have asked me to not give you the child at all? If you knew?" The mother thinks for a minute, too stunned to respond at first. "No, Lord. If I had known I could only have my child for 6 years, I would have gladly taken your gift. I would have cherished every moment I had with my daughter. I would never have chosen to deny the joy of my child only to avoid the pain of returning her to you." To which God replies softly, "This is why, my child."
I'm sure I've retold the story with a definite lack of something, but you get the gist. When I found out I was pregnant with my eldest daughter after having 2 miscarriages, I was reminded of this story. I told everyone I was pregnant right away, even though there was a chance I would not be able to keep this pregnancy either. I wanted to cherish every moment I had with her, even if I never saw her face. Even if God called her home before I could meet her, I knew I wanted this experience. And I'm sure that my friend and his wife who lost their young son would feel the same. I hope they find peace and comfort in knowing they would not have denied the joy he brought them if they had known he would go home to God so soon. May God bless and soothe these parents and the family of this boy in this time of deep sorrow.
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