Tragedy

My name is Lisa and my husband's name is Joe. I know you don't know us but we may have something very special in common. On July 17, 1997, our little Lindsey Ann went to be with the Lord in Heaven. "For we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (II Corinthians 5:8)

I met Joe right out of high school and we were married on April 20, 1991. After being saved and baptized, we joined Bemiss Road Baptist Church and became actively involved in various areas. As a young couple, we desired to have children right away. Joe wanted a rather large family. His idea of a big family was found in Ephesians 4:11. He wanted all our children serving God in some area or another. After six years of marriage and praying for children, we found out that I was expecting our first child! What joy filled our soul! At the time, I was teaching at Gilead Christian Academy and Cathy, who is also a teacher and friend of mine, suggested I find a verse to help me during delivery. So, with that, I began to pray and ask God for a verse that would help me. God gave me a common, well-known verse in the Bible, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13. I struggled to find another verse because that one was just way too common and everyone knew that verse, but God kept saying to me "this is what you will need". So, I clung to that verse and never looked again. We began to make plans for our new family to be.

Five baby showers were scheduled and we received many gifts for her yellow Beatrix Potter nursery. Two more showers were still planned for after our daughter was to be born. I had a great pregnancy and everything was perfect until I started running fever of 102 degrees at 38 weeks. I ran a fever for a whole week. Then I became swollen and I couldn't move my arms and legs. It was like I was paralyzed. Each day was different. My doctors sent me home every day I went into their office. They didn't understand what was wrong and they didn't try to find out either.

At 40 1/2 weeks I was hurting severely. I went to the doctor only to find there was no heartbeat. My baby had died before she ever had a chance to live outside the womb. My heart was broken and I began to ask why? Why? Why did this happen to us? I was immediately admitted in the hospital and early in the morning of July 17th they induced labor. I was in labor for 12 1/2 painful hours. At 6:35 p.m. with the help of my husband, mother and mother-in-law, I finally delivered a beautiful perfect baby girl, weighing 7 lbs, 11 oz, 21 in. long and a head full of brown hair. You see, I had the very best help, along with my husband, because my mother, Gloria, lost a daughter between my brother, Mike, and myself. My mother- in-law, Elaine, lost a son between Joe and his sister, Stacy. These precious ladies in my life knew what we were going through and could feel our deepest pain. They were both allowed to remain in the delivery room with Joe and me through it all. I would not have had it any other way. We all had the chance to spend our last few hours with Lindsey in our arms and let other family and friends see her too.

The hospital allowed me to keep her all afternoon and part of the night until I went to sleep. I'm glad we had that time to see her, even though our "Hello" was "Good-bye". She was already in the arms of Jesus. I only had her body but God had her soul. What a great babysitter! God said "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 19:14). I'm thankful that she's in good hands and I know where she is. She's waiting for me on the other side of heaven and will greet me with open arms when my time is gone. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead of the Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:14-18)

Yes, I do miss her, that is for sure but we will see her again soon! That's His promise! The Bible says "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves breaks through and steals, but lay up for yourself treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) Today I feel closer to Jesus because that's where my treasure is . . . with Him!

God knows how we feel. He gave His only son to die on the cross a painful and cruel death for you and for me. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Jesus is the only one who can give you comfort and relief of this pain and emptiness you are feeling. "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (I Peter 5:7)

God gave me sweet unexplainable peace in my heart the moment we learned there was no heartbeat. The pain was still there but I had peace. I knew she was safe in the arms of Jesus. I had to ask Him for help to make it through the funeral and day by day renewal. It wasn't easy and sometimes, even now, I am sad, but I have to remind myself God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) He knows best. Waiting on God is difficult but God is God and He said in his word, "Be still and know that I am God . . ." (Psalms 46:10) He wants us to acknowledge Him so that He can direct our lives. "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart; and lean not unto thine own understand. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)