The Gift of Greater Witness

In Philippians 1:12-14, Paul talks about the joy of being imprisoned. He wasn’t joyous about his imprisonment. He was joyous because his imprisonment helped him spread the good news of Jesus’ salvation and encouraged fellow Christ followers to do the same.

I never wanted to be imprisoned in the jail of grief after losing my son. No one does. I think of Paul in a dark, damp jail cell sharing how God is good, faithful and always with him. The jailers and other prisoners didn’t think he was crazy. They believed Jesus was the salvation of the world. He shared and they believed.

After losing my son, I had a choice about whether to succumb to the misery of my grief or trust Jesus in all things. As I have trusted the Lord throughout the years, He has given me opportunity to share with others and encourage them. Coming alongside other grieving moms is one of the greatest privileges I have.

“And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message with out fear.” Philippians 1:14

I believe the pain of the death of my son will be for His purpose. I want my testing to be a testimony to the Lord’s faithfulness. For His good and His purpose.

2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”

God comforted me after my son died and I have used my situation to comfort others in their loss. You can do the same. You can share with others the hope of Christ. The hope of someday being with our babies. Jesus died on the cross so we could have eternal life—with our babies.

I know waiting a lifetime to be with our babies is hard. I know. I’ve waited 27 years so far. But I also know that I have the promise of being reunited. That is the good news!

Dear Hope Mom, you can be a great witness for Jesus. He can use your story of loss to share hope with others. Just like Paul counted it all joy in his sufferings while imprisoned, we can find joy in knowing we have the opportunity to encourage other hurting moms.

I love to read stories about how people used a tragedy or trial to start a foundation or ministry, build an orphanage or invent a product. You don’t have to do that to be a great witness for the Lord. If you can just encourage one person, that is enough.

I had two other children when my son died, and I vowed to live a life of faith and hope so they would always know that no matter what happens in this life, God is with us and will comfort us. He will deliver us from our imprisonment of grief.

Like Paul, “I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News” (Philippians 1:12).

Dear Mama, won’t you join me in letting God’s hope rise up so we can share the Good News of a God who loved us so much He sent His son to die for us so we can have eternal life?

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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