Today I have asked my dear friend Lilly to share her heartbreaking yet inspiring story of thankfulness through tragedy. To those of you who have experienced the death of a child, I am so very sorry for your grief. I pray that Jesus will pour His comfort down upon your soul and bind your wounds with His tender hands. Here is Lilly’s message and I pray it speaks to you as it has me:
Hi, my name is Lilly! Bobbie asked me to share my story with you regarding my thoughts on thankfulness. Many years ago, I lived through every mother’s worst nightmare. My precious two-year-old daughter Joy tragically lost her life when she was run over by a car. You may be asking yourself how I could ever be thankful for such a horrific accident. Well…I’m not. That is, not for the sin that ultimately caused Joy’s death. You see, I believe we were created to live forever with our Lord. Sin came into the world and death entered in. So…I’m not thankful for that. What I can say, without ANY hesitation, is how thankful I am that I know Joy is just a breath in front of me. She is in heaven, and soon she will look up and see Mommy. And these arms that ache to hold her and heart that never completely heals will be made whole. I will see her and hold her, and I can’t wait!! With that said, I have so many things to be thankful for. I got to experience the body of Christ in action before my eyes. On that stormy night, I saw people, whose names I don’t even know, fall to their knees and pray. I experienced an intimacy with Jesus that I cannot even describe. Honestly, He sat down beside me, in my darkest hour and whispered, “I’ll heal your broken heart and bind up your wound. I know how many stars are in the heavens; my understanding has no limit. I know your heart, Lilly. Put your hope in My unfailing love…” (Check out Psalm 147 below).
I loved the post Bobbie shared where she spoke of praising God in the difficult times. A sweet, humble lady, Mrs. Mims, called me after Joy died. She told me that when her father died, she was devastated, but the one thing that helped her was this…she said, “Praise the Lord.” There were honestly days when I couldn’t take a breath because I was so overwhelmed with grief. In those horrific moments I would try to praise the Lord. It was so meager, so weak, so pitiful…yet the Lord heard me. He would then pour his grace down a thousandfold, and I could breathe. I could take a step…Praising God and thanking Him in the midst of tragedy saved my life. I honestly did not think I would ever smile again. I would never be able to forget seeing her eyes as I watched the scene unfold…she knew she was in trouble, and I knew she was looking for Mommy. I couldn’t reach her, but Jesus did. He scooped her up in his arms and loved her more than I even could…which seems impossible, but I know it is true.
Thankfulness– it the balm that brings true healing. Do I miss Joy? Oh, my stars, YES! Do I wish it didn’t happen? YES! But I am soooo thankful for Jesus, His body, Mrs. Mims, my wonderful husband and dozens of others who allowed Jesus to work through them so I could have JOY in my life. I know this sounds so strange, but I think I’m the happiest person I know. Really…And that happiness/joy comes only from Jesus Christ. It is for that I am eternally thankful.
-Lilly Minor
Psalm 147:1-11
Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him! The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord, with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.
