Yesterday I spent some time on the phone with a husband and wife who face losing their infant child soon, according to medical doctors. They contacted me because of our experience with our own sweet girl. As we talked, I began to jot down a few notes from our conversation. This particular couple’s faith is so strong. I cried as I heard the various musings of a heartbroken parent who faces the unknown with their child. I remember being there. I also though of all the parents I have talked with who have also lost a child too.
In today’s post, I am going to share my side of our conversation regarding the future and heaven. If you have lost a baby, have a very sick baby, or are in a troubling pregnancy, I pray that these random thoughts will encourage you. Words do not fix a broken heart; however, my prayer is to minister to your heart.
God Loves You and Your Baby
When losing a baby or facing the possibility, it is easy to forget about God’s love. We immediately think that if God really loved me and my baby, He would make my baby healthy. My baby would not struggle. God would allow my baby to stay with me and be healthy. These and many other thoughts can rumble like a storm over and over through our soul.
Yet, these things are not true. What is true is, God loves you and your baby more than you can even realize. God loves your baby more than you do. God especially loves children. Your child is no different. If you lose your child in pregnancy, in infancy, or as a little one, you can know that God loves you and loves your baby even more than you do.
Before your baby was conceived, God had your baby’s days written in His book (Psalm 139:16). Your baby’s days were numbered before life began. God knew the moment of conception all the way to death. Although you do not know, God does.
When your baby dies, your baby experiences God’s love in the most dramatic ways ever possible. More about that in a moment.
Transitioning to Heaven
Death transitions us from this life to the next. In a moment as the physical body dies, your baby continues on living his or her best life now. They key word here is transition. From this life to a better life. From earth with us as God’s ambassadors to heaven with Jesus Christ.
Your baby is more alive than ever.
This transition moves your baby’s residence from here to there. Think of it this way… when we send our babies off to the grandparents, to the babysitter, to a day at school, or to a youth camp of some kind, we miss them, but also we know where they are. We anticipate seeing them soon. We long to get them back from wherever they are. We have these feelings and think these thoughts as they are alive, just not with us in this moment.
The same is even more true at death. Your baby is alive more than ever. He or she has gone to live with Jesus until you arrive. Alive. Well. Having fun. Entertained by the saints of the ages. Worshipping Jesus who made heaven possible. Seeing relatives who have already gone to heaven.
Where does that leave us? Longing and anticipating the day we are reunited in heaven together for eternity. But it will not be long. We do not know exactly when, but it will not be long.
True Affliction, but Momentary
The Apostle Paul writes about a light, momentary affliction (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
You might be screaming, “Light?” “Momentary?”
Yes. How can Paul even begin to think this way?
Because in heaven’s time, a thousand years are as one day and one day as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:1-9).
Friend, according to heaven’s time, you will see your baby in just moments or minutes.
Momentary? Yes. You have to compare this moment to eternity. In light of eternity, my 102-year-old granddad has lived only momentary – not as momentary as our daughter who died so young, but momentary in light of eternity.
Now think about this… we get to spend eternity together. Against eternity, we could say light and momentary. Not that you do not feel it deeply into your soul, because you do; however, in light of eternity, your loss will only be for a moment compared to eternity you will have together.
Like sending your little one to a grandparent’s house or some other place, we long to be back together soon, and it will not be long.
Oh What Our Little One Missed and We Missed!
Oh how we miss our little ones. Yes, it is only for a moment in heaven’s time; however, we live every one of those moments for now on earth’s time. We do feel it, and rightly so. Day after day we sense the loss and long for the future day.
Again, we miss them. The memories, fun, monotonous days, and adventures blend in together to give us a great sense of loss. Future school, possible weddings, job, and all the rest of what we consider normal is gone. We miss out on sharing that together.
But, for a moment, consider what else your little one misses. Your baby misses the possibility of going to hell. Instead, your baby waits for you in heaven. Your baby misses the evil, politics, sin, impatience, ugliness, and corruption in this world. All missed. Instead, your baby only knows righteousness, goodness, mercy, grace, and the purest love. Your baby experiences the best in the whole universe daily, and he or she misses a corrupt world driven by lust.
Eternity awaits. So does Jesus and your baby.
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