God is the Great Redeemer

I have never felt more violated than when I got the news that death had entered my womb. Such an unwelcome visitor, a thief, that I did not give permission to enter my body. Death stings no matter the age or circumstance, but it is extra personal and strange when death comes to a child still attached to your living body.

Baby P died at 18 weeks en utero due to trisomy 18. His death meant that we would soon be separated; my body would give birth to him, and he would be laid to rest. Death is the great separator. But I rejoice knowing that Jesus conquered death—the thief won’t have the last word.

I believe the pain of death comes from the abrupt nature of severing a relationship. Death separates us from our loved ones and our relationship with them is cut short, often unfulfilled or unrealized. Perhaps this is how God felt when sin entered our world. Sin resulted in humanity’s immediate separation from Him, because the two are simply incompatible. Our sin separates us from our holy God. But God relentlessly pursued a relationship with us because His love for us endured even though we sinned against Him. 

In our earthly understanding of death, it is final, ugly, awful, and irredeemable. But God is the great Redeemer. It would seem implausible that God could use a situation like His own Son’s death to give life. How are those two things even compatible? In our minds they aren’t.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’”
1 Corinthians 1:18-19

Only God could take a story of death and crucifixion and make it a story of life and freedom. That’s just how strong He is. Death is no competitor to Him. In my own encounters with death in this life, there were no possible ways I could have made those situations into anything other than dark and ugly on my own. 

“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
1 Corinthians 3:7

But God is the great Redeemer. Three years past my sons death, I am now able to see signs of life and growth from God. Hope Mommies and Hope Boxes have been a very tangible picture of the  beauty from ashes in how my son’s life continues to impact others in ways that far outlast his time on earth. God has used my story to form new friendships, to comfort those in grief, to bring neighbors together, and to help me love my family better. That kind of growth couldn’t have come from me. If it were up to me, I would have chosen to be bitter and resentful for the rest of my life. But God is the great Redeemer.

I’m so grateful that God can grow new life after death. I’m so grateful that death is not the end with my God. I’m so grateful that, through Jesus, we have the opportunity to fully realize our relationship with God and with each other. There will be no more death, no more thief stealing our relationships and severing bonds. 

The pain of death in this life is real and the reality of eternity doesn’t make separation (albeit temporary) any easier. Our grief is simply the price of our love. But we can grieve with hope, knowing full well that God has made a way for us to unite with Him again after this life. Death does not have the last word because God is the great Redeemer. With Him, death is not the end of life, love, or growth. If He gave us eternal life through the death of Jesus, what can He do with your current circumstance? Cast your burdens on the One who is mighty enough to “give growth,” who can use dirt to heal a blind man, who used a crucifixion to give life, and who can cause beauty to grow from even the ugliest of tragedies.

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Sarah Padilla is a mom, wife, and dance teacher from Magnolia, Texas. She’s been married to her high school sweetheart, Kyle, for nearly eight years. They have a two-year-old son named Kirk and two babes in heaven.

We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.

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