Loving the God who Takes Your Child

Psalm 34:7, 8, 17-19

The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him,
and delivers them.
Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes
refuge in him! 

When the righteous cry for help,

the Lord hears

and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the broken-hearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Today we have a 2 beautiful video clips to share with you. These video clips are about Ezra Blaize, a precious baby boy.

In the first clip his parents are sharing at his funeral about his 54 day life, sharing what they have learned through his life. They so beautifully share their trust in the Lord, where they find their comfort during this hard time, and what they have learned from his life.

In the second clip, his parents share more of Ezra's story and their hope in the Lord.

Please take a few minutes to watch these touching videos!

Pouring out my Heart......

I want to share a beautiful post with you today by Kara Chupp. You might remember that a few years back I shared one of Kara's posts with you.

I love and appreciate Kara and her beautiful faith and honesty. She shares her hurt and hesitancy to open up to the Lord. I think that anyone who has lost a baby can relate to this. Kara so beautifully brings us into the hospital room were her precious baby girl was dyeing. 

Please click over the Overcomer blog to read Kara's post "Pouring out my Heart to Jesus...When we lost our baby".

A Story Of God's Faithfulness

Today we want you to take a few minutes and meet the Harms family. This beautiful family candidly shares their story. Their youngest daughter Ava was diagnosed with Alexandre's disease when she was just a few months old and sweet little Ava lived for just one year. In this short video, the Harms share how they saw the Lord's faithfulness and goodness during this time in their lives.

Grieving a Loss: What's it going to take to get through this?

A couple of months ago The Gospel Coalition held their 2012 National Women's Conference. Among the many wonderful sessions and speakers, there was one session that we thought would be a help and blessing to our readers at 4 Days To Eternity.  Nancy Guthrie did a wonderful job sharing on how to grieve a loss in the hope of God in her session "Grieving a Loss: What's it going to take to Get Through This?". Whether you have just lost a precious baby or a loved one or have unrealized hopes & dreams, this message will be a help to you. Please click over and you can either listen to, download the audio,or watch the video.

Grieving a Loss from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Thankful for Life, No Matter How Long or How Short

This month we'd like to share with you a sweet testimony from a wonderful family that is choosing to delight in the Lord in spite of the challenges their son faces. They remind us that all life, whether short or long, healthy or sick, is precious and should be lived for the glory of Christ. They remind us of what Job said in Job 1:21 - "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."


We know that the Lord has different trials & joys for us all to walk through with Him. Each family & life is different and our individual stories are all unique and yet, we hope that the truth this family shares will be a blessing and help to you. The truths that they share can be applied to your life, and your family's life, no matter how long or how short your precious baby was/is with you.

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

One of my favorite hymns is "Great Is Thy Faithfulness". My mind has meditated on the words of this hymn many times especially over the last several years. This hymn speaks of the Lord's faithfulness, compassion, and the strength He will provide you every day. It also speaks of the Lord's mercies, new every morning, that bring bright hope for tomorrow.

Our family has come to wonderful blessing and bright hope for tomorrow. We are looking forward to welcoming another son into our family come August. The Lord is so good!

But...even in the midst of this joy and blessing, is the knowledge of the hurt and heartbreak that came with this same joy last time. I remember finding out that Mason was a boy, going out and buying our first little boy outfit, planning the nursery and making plans for Mason's future. Knowing all the hopes and dreams that were unrealized makes it hard to fully embrace the blessing the Lord is giving us.

As we plan and hope and dream for this new little one inside of me, there is an apprehension that comes with it. It is hard to think of loving and caring for this new little one when there is a little one that you never got to do the same for. I try my best to keep my eyes on today and what the Lord has given us today, cherishing this little life inside of me. I keep reminding myself of these verses...

Trust in the Lord with all your heart 

and do not lean on your own understanding. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, 

and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 

let your requests be made known to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

These verses remind me to trust in the Lord, and not what I feel or understand, and to not worry or fret over the "maybes" and "what-ifs" but to bring those thoughts and concerns to the Lord in prayer. If I do this, He is going to guard my heart. Do this mean that if I do this there will not be any more hardship and hurt in my life? No. But it does mean that when those hardships and hurts do come, He will guard our hearts through them. He will carry us through whatever trial we need to walk through. 

So today I am choosing to focus on the blessing of another little boy... anticipating and preparing for his arrival... cherishing the little life the Lord is forming and growing inside of me.