I’m really thankful that more and more Christians are willing to shed false positivity and embrace lament.
Because the truth is lots of stories this side of eternity end in tragedy or at least unmet expectations and sorrow instead of glorious, victorious sunshine and roses.
Crops and marriages fail. Dreams come and go.
We hope for healing but don’t receive it.
Loved ones die.
Let’s just be honest about it-about ALL of it.
❤ Melanie
In the wake of burying Dominic, the most difficult spiritual discipline for me to recover has been prayer.
In part because my heart just doesn’t know what to ask for or how to talk to a God Who has allowed this pain in my life.
In part because I don’t really have a framework for placing the prayers I want to pray inside my ongoing struggle to commit my future and the future of my family to the hands of a Father Who didn’t step in to prevent Dominic’s death.
I still struggle with this.
Read the rest of this post here: The Problem of [Un]Answered Prayer
Share this:
thelifeididntchoose 
Melanie, I respect your honesty of your loss. I lost my 17 year old son in 2013. Going on 9 years now. I would not survived had it not been for prayer. My own personal outlet for my heartbroken self. God has been my shoulder to cry on. I can tell him anything, anytime and sometimes I did not have words, just howls of brokenness, utterances that did not make sense to me, but I know God knew. The same God that gave me this beautiful child is the same God that sent angels to carry him to heaven. He is the same God that has held me through grief. Every single step.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Melanie. I truly understand and appreciate your blog. When my son made his transition in September 2021 I initially did not want to pray. My son was ill, and I prayed for his healing. The Lord took him home. I knew in my heart that I should not stop praying and believing. I pushed through and prayed anyway. I thought with all my prayers for healing that it was cruel that my son had to make his transition. I knew that I had to trust God and not question his ways. It was a struggle, and still is sometimes, but I purposely try to keep my focus. It’s a lot of work, but it helps. That’s all I can ask for right now is the “help.” The help to endure.
LikeLike
Thank you Melanie…I am struggling and growing to see prayer as aligning my heart, my desire, my life to Christ. My prayer changes ME not my life circumstances, not God’s plans. This.is.hard. Prayer is hard for me in the 16 months since my son died. I miss it. I reminded that I don’t have to chase God, he knows my heart and He will find me in this struggle. Still trying to find what this looks like.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Melanie
I read your post almost every day , the only mornings I don’t is because I don’t want to face our awful realities 💔! You always get it just right. I really love this one about prayer after losing a child. It’s exactly how I feel. Thank you for doing this day in day out for all of our weary and broken-hearted souls🙏🏻❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person