Because He Lives: We Are Set Free

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where Helay.”
-Matthew 28:5-6

As a Hope Mom, this verse is the beginning of our hope. Jesus was crucified for our sins and was raised from the dead. Because of that act by Jesus, we can be set free from our sins. We have the hope of resurrection and that leads to the hope of seeing our babies again in heaven. Jesus’ death on the cross is the foundation of our hope. 

Romans 10:9 says that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” We are free from sin and death. We can look to eternity—where our babies are waiting for us. 

Taking the step into the freedom the Lord offers might be scary. We often like to cling to our old ways because it is what we know. 

Years and years ago, my husband, brother, and I were snowmobiling in the mountains of Idaho. We had been riding for quite a while and came to a “T” in the road. In front of us was a huge mountain with a boulder field at the base of it. For some reason that none of us can seem to remember, we decided to climb that mountain. The ascent over the boulders was easy, and we kept going. Soon, the climb was steep and the snow was deep, so we decided to stop. The view from where we were was worth the climb. 

Once we stopped exerting ourselves by climbing, the cold started to creep in and we decided we should head down the mountain. On the way up, as we were facing the mountain, we didn’t realize how steep the incline was. We made several attempts to climb back down but couldn’t, so we had one choice—and it wasn’t a very good one. 

Our plan was to slide down the snow-covered slope, trying to slow our slide by digging in our heels and then grab a tree at the edge of the cliff we hoped was sturdy enough to hold us. If we missed the tree or its roots weren’t strong enough, we would go over the cliff and land on the boulders about 25 feet below. Not a good plan at all. 

My husband went first and grabbed the tree—and it held. He waited for me to slide down and encouraged me. I took several deep breaths, said a quick prayer, and slid down. We made it and were able to inch our way back down over the boulder field. 

Taking the step to let go of the safety of the spot I was in, albeit a cold and temporary one, required me to trust. To trust the tree would stop me. To trust the tree would hold. To trust my husband could grab me. Only by letting go and trusting, would I be free to get down the mountain. 

When we say “yes” to Jesus as our Lord and Savior because of what He did on the cross —and— when He walked out of the tomb, we trust Him to forgive our sins. When our sins are forgiven, we have freedom to know (trust) we will have eternal life. Eternal life offers us the gift of seeing our babies again. 

Because Jesus lives, our babies live. Because He lives, we can have freedom from our grief because we know we will also have eternal life with our babies. 

Dear Hope Mom, there is freedom from your grief through the salvation Jesus offered when He died on the cross and rose on the third day. When we know the reality of eternal life with our babies, we can walk—or crawl—out of our tomb of grief and experience joy. 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future. 
And life is worth the living, just because He lives.
-Bill Gaither

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Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.

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