Beyond the Grave

For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
-Psalm 16:10

A cool breeze blew this morning as I sat on my back porch with a friend and listened to her pour her heart out about her adult children and the trials they are experiencing. Our mama hearts hurt together but we encouraged each other to keep trusting the Lord and talked about His faithfulness even in the trials.

As a Hope Mommy, I have often been told to rejoice because my child is in heaven.

And I do.

And I hurt because my child is not with me here on earth. I didn’t get to rock him to sleep, to teach him to tie his shoes, to take his prom pictures, or to drive him to college. But those earthly things pale in comparison to knowing that my son is walking with Jesus. He’s not in the grave where I left his physical body. He is with Jesus.

The Lord doesn’t leave us in death. He meets us. He was waiting for our babies and He waits for us in eternity – with our babies!

Jesus is the best babysitter we can have. Just think about Jesus rocking your baby and singing a sweet lullaby, teaching your son to skateboard on streets of gold, picking flowers with your daughter in limitless fields of daisies and tulips, pushing your twins on a swing, or exploring the ends of eternity with your child for eternity.

John 14:1-6 says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

When we accept the Lord as our Savior and acknowledge He is the way to eternal life, we can rejoice about one day seeing our children again. Death will not have the final word. Jesus made sure of that by His sacrifice on the cross.

Dear grieving mommy, I know it hurts that we have to wait a lifetime to be with our babies, but be encouraged—we will one day meet them face to face. What an awesome day that will be when our children run to greet us in heaven! And in the meantime, know they are having a marvelous time with Jesus. By trusting the Father, we can be okay here on earth. We can be better than okay. We can be victorious, overcomers, full of joy and peace.

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed
into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting”
-1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Dear Lord, help me to be strong and courageous in the midst of my pain and sorrow. Let me know Your peace and comfort to the very depths of my soul, as I stand firm and proclaim, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” Thank You that I am not abandoned. Thank You for Your Son who made it possible to be with You ~ and my child again someday. Amen.

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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