HOPE?

I spent the morning on the phone with two people in grief. The first was a woman whose 18 year old daughter gave birth last week to a baby who was stillborn. Quite premature, the baby was not expected to survive long outside the confines of the mother's womb. Yet still, there was hope. Hope that the doctors were wrong. Hope that the contractions would cease and labor could be held off until the baby was more fully developed. Hope for a miracle. Later this week, I will lead a Memorial Service for this tiny child of God.

The second was a woman calling to tell me that her 30-something son had just passed away at the University of Minnesota Hospital. This young man has suffered with an immune system deficiency for at least the second half of his life. Earlier this year he received a bone marrow transplant in hopes that it would kick start his body to begin producing the necessary cells to boost him immune system. For a short time, it appeared that the transplant had worked. Hopes were high that he would get back to living a "normal" life. But last week he developed pneumonia and influenza. The high doses of medication he was receiving took their toll on his heart and other organs. At the end of this week, this young man will be eulogized by his friends and family members.

What is the proper response when our hopes are dashed?
What can we say to someone who placed so much hope in God, only to have God answer with something totally unexpected?
What, if anything, can be done to restore hope when it has been lost?

Let's chat...but please don't stop there. If you would, join me in praying for these two families...sometimes it's the only thing we can do.