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I’m sorry.

Dude, I am so sorry for your loss. I have a friend in my accountability group that has lost 2 babies in the past couple of years. I am going to send him to your blog.

a powerful cocktail of emotions

Beautiful… I have to say, that your family’s story over the past half a year, what little I know of it from online, has been used of God to encourage me to see God’s faithfulness in all things. Thank you for sharing your pain and your response to it- it is very encouraging. I’m sorry…

I have heard your father’s voice over and over and over in my head saying these phrases, “i’m going to the hospital right now…no heartbeat…my daughter-in-law is delivering a dead baby.” tears streaming, i asked the sturms, “did they know if it was a boy or girl.” “a girl”. more tears. i knew you had a little boy. you lost your little girl. immediately i imagined empty clothes, empty cribs, empty arms. and milk with no one to nourish.

aching for you. hoping in the empty grave with you.

Reading this post followed by the last post, could bring a big fellow like myself to tears…

Having two kids of my own, my heart goes out to you…

Yogi

I am a complete stranger to you, but I wanted you to know that my heart goes out to you and Molly as I read this. I just can’t imagine the pain in your hearts. I pray God will heal and bind them up more and more every day.

Empty tomb = grieving with hope

Thank you Abraham for sharing your heart with us and allowing us to participate in prayer for you and Molly. May you be comforted with the promises of God fulfilled and the people of God who surround you as those who “mourn with those who mourn.”

May the Lord bless you and keep you this Easter weekend and give you sweet consolation of his presence.

…and at his right hand pleasures forevermore. Amen.

I don’t know your story at all, but with children of my own, I can’t even imagine the heartache of never seeing even one of the six grow up!

There is nothing I can say that would accomplish what I wish I could: to bring her back and make your hurt become joy. It makes me want to say nothing at all and yet, I feel I must let you know that I type this with an aching in my heart for what you’ve lost.

I just can’t imagine.

How could an Atheist ever cope? At least you have hope that you will see her someday…

empty grave….AMEN! hers, because of His. amen, amen, amen.

Abraham: Last night I read Spurgeon’s Evening devotional on John 17 (March 22). This morning (Easter) I came across your blog via the DG Blog. Spurgeon’s words are so applicable here. God Bless you and Molly.

That is helpful, Charles. Thanks.
"Thus the disciple is at cross-purposes with his Lord." Too true.
Here’s the link if anyone else wants to read it:
Spurgeon on John 17:24

That is so beautiful!

Our first child, Matthew, lived less than thirty minutes. I wish I had those particular words that first Easter after his short life.

We now have two other children and four grandchildren… and one boy who is waiting for us on the other side.

Our son was stillborn 5 years ago on Valentine’s Day, and we’ve been infertile ever since. Some of the most comforting words I have ever read are from “Stepping Heavenward” by Elizabeth Prentiss- a fiction book written in 1831. When the main character loses her two-year-old son she thanks God that He would “count her worthy to present Him so costly a gift.” What a beautiful perspective! I pray He would bring you peace and comfort. I am sorry you are having to endure the horrific ache that comes with such a tremendous loss. It is a most painful path. But I praise Him that He is with you and for the hope we have that we’ll see your sweet Felicity and our little Jonathan again. How blessed they are to be in His presence already!

When I read the Spurgeon passage yesterday, the words that lingered were, “Lord, you shall have them. By faith we let them go.” We learn not only to submit to God’s sovereignty in taking our precious one, but as the Puritans put it, to “acquiesce” to it; to find no fault in it. Sorrow lingers, even after 31 years, but we are filled with joyful and sure hope that is ours through Christ’s resurrection.

Please know that I continue to pray for you and Molly.

My little brother, Nathan, was stillborn 5 years ago in May. Seeing Felicity’s gravestone reminded me so much of his…with that lone single date. I still remember his perfect face and tiny fingers…with no life behind them. Thank you for reminding me what the resurrection means for us. We’re going to see our dear ones again. Praying for the blessing of peace upon you this Easter…

Robert E. Lee to his wife, October 26, 1862 concerning the death of his beloved daughter, Annie:

“I cannot express the anguish I feel at the death of our sweet Annie.
To know that I shall never see her again on earth, that her place in
our circle, which I always hoped one day to enjoy, is forever vacant,
is agonising in the extreme. But God in this, as in all things, has
mingled mercy with the blow, in selecting that one best prepared to
leave us. May you be able to join me in saying ‘His will be done!’
…I know how much you will grieve and how much she will be mourned.
I wish I could give you any comfort, but beyond our hope in the great
mercy of God, and the belief that he takes her at the time and place
when it is best for her to go, there is none. May that same mercy
be extended to us all, and may we be prepared for His summons.”

Moving beyond 22 words. Thank you so much.

My sympathies, I’ve been there. Praying for you.

T

I believe that God uses our pain to become someone else’s cane.
Although I can’t relate to this particular loss which takes so much courage on your behalf to be open about, you help people see you can continue.

Giving during a time when something is taken away is one of God’s Gifts.

He did it with Christ, which many of of us acknowledged today.

I love looking at babies. I often say.
Look at that little piece of Heaven.
I have a short story about them.

Refreshing to know yours is with God right now. I only pray my 19 year old will accept Christ one day so that she will be with him to.

Thank you for sharing your pain. I pray God will bless your life again.

Those 22 words were and are powerful.

wow. poignant and beautiful. may God continue to comfort you and your family.

Thank you. We miscarried two weeks ago and are coping. The Lord gave us Isaiah 43:1-3. I will be coming alongside you in prayer.

[...] This then this then this and then this past week, 6 Months Gone at Easter Time [...]

Abraham: I continue to rejoice in the hand of God on your life, even is the struggle. I’m sure you don’t remember meeting me & my son when you were at our church a couple year’s ago, but his story, while different than yours, is that of a prodigal who came to his senses and ran into our loving Father’s arms. He is 33 now and nearly into the last year of the prison sentence he was waiting to self-surrender for during your visit here. What I’m trying to say is thank you for your transparency and praise Him for His work in you and my boy, James, III. You and your dad’s testimony during all of this have been encouragements to us in our journey.

WITH HOPE, by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you’ve gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but …

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
‘Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
‘Cause we believe with hope
(There’s a place by God’s grace)
There’s a place where we’ll see your face again
We’ll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God’s plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father’s smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
‘Cause now you’re home
And now you’re free, and …

We have this hope as an anchor
‘Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so …

So we can cry with hope
And say goodbye with hope

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope

Thanks you so much for sharing your thoughts and feelings during this hard time. my heart goes out to you and your family. My cousin just delivered a full-term still born last week and we had the funeral saturday- the day before Easter. I have sought the wisdom and words of the Piper family to help myself and my family deal with this unexpected loss. This was her first pregnancy and first grandchild for my Aunt and Uncle. So i rejoice in God’s gracious work in the life of your family and thank Him for His wisdom shown in your situation to help us weed through ours. Praise God that there is Hope in the blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Our prayers have been with you these 6 months. We now walk alongside you in the vaccuum of time as the grief does not subside.

My husband and I lost our baby girl - Autumn Elizabeth Lee - one month less-a-day after you lost your little girl. She - also - was stillborn.
The Lord is healing our broken hearts… but I still mourn her. Your poem expresses so much of what our hearts feel…
On our blog I’ve expressed (or tried to) some of what He has taught us… but I SO look forward to an eternity with no more tears.
I pray for you and - especially - your wife often.

Noah Riskey, our first grandchild was born still on 9-20-06. He is safe in the arms of God. We praise Him for the thumps in my daughter-in-laws womb and for the goodbyes as we held his still body. We are awaiting his little sister, Hope, as her mother battles her body which is trying to deliver too soon. We wait upon the Lord for her safe arrival. We serve a great and merciful God who holds all life in the palm of His hand. We grieve with you and your family.

12 days, that’s all my first daughter lived, over Christmas, we had no idea that she had a very serious heart defect with very little chance of survival. she almost never cried. … and I still cannot fully feel your sorrow, Easter.. Hope..

I just stumbled upon your blog. I am so sorry for the loss your family has endured. You will be in my prayers.

I too have given back to God my infent son Christian Gerad Josar. In the short time he lived,his dad an I enjoyed him very much. I am looking at his picture right now and know I will see him again. That is our sure hope. I will pray for you and your loved ones,I know the pain you are suffering.

In Him, Mary Ann

We lost our baby Elijah a month ago at birth. Thank you for your words…such a comfort to know we are not alone. If you have a second I would love for you to read my husbands prayer to our son on his blog. I hope it comforts you.
http://gloriadei614.wordpress.com/2008/02/29/a-letter-to-elijah/

[...] of John Piper I should think. Who’s stillborn baby girl was delivered 6 months ago causing this easter post recently featured here. He’s even got that quote pastor printed for his [...]

[...] said some beautiful things today if you go here and here. The portrait was done by a woman in the church, who Abraham secretly commissioned, as a surprise [...]

My heart sank to read this. It was my biggest fear when my wife was pregnant with both my girls. Keith Green struggled with similar- valuing his family- wife and son Josiah at that time- too much, above God. He wrote “I Pledge My Head to Heaven” about that. He came to the place where he surrendered his family to God and trusted Him with them. You have faced my biggest fear. From what I read, you have “pledged your head to heaven” and are trusting God with your little girl. I have so far to go in my walk with Him. Sometime my faith is so weak in some areas.

[...] Poetry, Things That Make Me Cry, Things that make me SMILE, Uncategorized at 1:01 pm by Dan Barnett This is an encouraging post from Abraham Piper, son of John Piper.  He and his wife lost their baby 6 months ago.  The way he, [...]

Abraham- My wife Lisa miscarried our first child in 1988. Our dear friends at BBC showed us the love and compassion of our Lord in so many ways. Twenty years later we can rejoice in the memories of our dear friends who loved us when we needed it and in the knowledge that our daughter has been in the presence of the Lord all this time and is just waiting to see her mom, dad and brothers, all in HIS time.

God bless you and your wife, I know you are surrounded by many loving BBC families.

Scott & Lisa Williamson

I just came here from Molly’s blog, which I just discovered as well. I’m so sorry that Felicity is gone. And yet, as believers, we can grieve in hope! My daughter has a gravestone too. http://grievingwithguinever.wordpress.com/

Families have experienced the journey you have shared and I can say without a doubt that The Father’s Grace, Mercy and Love surrounds those who morn. He brings brokeness to bring His Glory to those who would not have known Him. The Father’s love has touched me, my wife of 35 years and our four children and now four grand babies, Yet I look forward to in heaven to enjoy our baby grandson Jack. God is Faithful. PERIOD

Stunningly beautiful. Praying for you and your wife this morning.

[...] It’s remarkable how much can be said in just a few words, deep things, like a reflection on the death of a child and the resurrection. At first I feared that it might be like reading the elder Piper (not that there’s anything [...]

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