All Resources

I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, and the added pain and regret that you have felt in the wake of your daughter’s death. I’m praying for you and your family as I write this. This is a very long reply to your message, but perhaps something I share will be of help to you.

God put everything under Adam’s dominion and stewardship. Genesis 3 tells us God cursed the whole earth as a result of Adam’s sin. That Curse had an ongoing dramatic effect on both humankind and animals, as part of creation. 

Despite both personal experiences and studies indicating money alone doesn’t bring the good life, countless people think and live and make choices as if it does.

If you run to Jesus, He will open His arms wide to hold you tight. And He won’t ever let go. And you may be very pleasantly surprised by how close He is, and what a short distance your run will be.

I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. My mom went to be with Jesus a few years ago, so my heart goes out to you. I don’t think anyone can prepare you for how hard it is to have your mom not here on Earth.

Randy Alcorn was on the Do Hard Things podcast with The Rebelution to talk about the hope we have in Heaven (and what Heaven is really going to be like). He shared how this hope has sustained him through his own season of loss and suffering.

Many Christians think about the present Heaven, where Christians go now when they die, but have never considered the future Heaven, after the resurrection, which will be a physical place occupied by physical people who will live forever with Jesus and all those who love Him.

Christians faced with terminal illness or imminent death often feel they’re leaving the party before it’s over. They have to go home early. They’re disappointed, thinking of all they’ll miss when they leave. But the truth is, the real party is underway at home.

I was not speaking literally. As you point out, angels are not biological humans. “Twins” simply means an equal opposite in this case.

Like anything, our imaginations can be used for good or for bad. Randy also writes, “The acid test of using our imaginations is whether doing so brings us back to the present world content and committed to deal positively with our circumstances. It should leave us refreshed and ready to better face the rest of our day.”

By putting God first and His creation second, the world and its beauties become instruments of joy and worship. We love them better when we love God more than them.

I think we underestimate just how much of our lives here is from the hand of God in the first place. The life that we now know and the things we enjoy so much—the parts untainted by sin—we would naturally expect to have carried over, including distinctive personalities.

I love this article by Greg Morse, staff writer for Desiring God. How easy it is to fall into a Christian life of drudgery where we wearily put one foot in front of another, thinking, “I’m going to try my best to live for Jesus,” all the while neglecting to actually focus on Him.

Deliberately and unceasingly, the tide of God’s grace brings us wave after wave of God’s goodness. The next wave crashes onto the beach before the previous wave is diminished. God’s grace is constant, but it isn’t stationary. It keeps moving toward us day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. It’s always there when we need it—and there’s never a moment we don’t.