Liz Newman, who writes poetry centered around grief, wrote:

“If only they knew

There’s so much more to loss Than what the eye can see.

There’s so much more to grieve

Than you ever realize there would be.”

Nobody talks about the things you have to say goodbye to months and even years after you lose someone you love. As our Ford Expedition hit nearly 250k miles, lift-gate broken, windows squeaking, we felt shattered to say goodbye. That was the rearview mirror that we looked in and saw two boys singing, dancing, and giggling in. It was the car we loaded our sweet Wesley in and out of. It held his chick fil a sauce stains on the carpet and his fingerprints all on the window. For most, it’s so exciting to get a new car (and it definitely was- we felt very blessed) but it was also tainted with gut wrenching goodbyes all over again.

This week, we said goodbye to our house that held so many of our Wesley memories. It was his favorite place on earth (he was such a homebody). We were on an amazing family trip in Branson and we asked Wesley “what would you want to do today?” Between all the numerous fun options we provided him, he answered with a big smile… “go home?” He loved all his little toys and reminded us to find joy in the simple, mundane daily home life. This was the house we truly thought we would never leave because of that. We’re overwhelmed with gratitude that God gave us that wonderful home to share in the best of days and the warmth, faith, and love in that home to survive the hardest of days. We’re continuously having to remind ourselves, through the tears and hard emotions, that the house doesn’t hold those memories, our hearts do. And we are so blessed and grateful to take them all with us as we embark on our next adventure. Grief and loss are full of unspoken goodbyes. From saying goodbye to the clothes that hang in their closets, the homes that held their memories, and all the tangible things they touched and experienced, one thing remains true: their memories are (and will always be) in you and not just attached to those things and places. 

Our Next Adventure

We are so excited about our new adventure! It was such a hard decision to leave our Oak Street house, but we reminded ourselves of something that really helped in our transition.  We wouldn’t have hesitated to make this choice if Wesley was here. Donna Ashworth said it well, 

“You may find that you begin to measure your life before and after they left.

And that’s okay.

Just be sure whatever you do

whatever tiny grain of strength you have left that you strive to fill up the after as richly and as beautifully as they helped you fill the before.

The before

is committed to memory now but the after

is totally up to you.

Make it count. “

We’ve dreamed of having land and raising our kids on property for a long time. A few months ago we stumbled across 11 acres with a mobile home at a great price. We thought if it all worked out, the plan would be to live in the mobile home for a few years while cleaning up the property, then build our forever home. Step one was to see if we liked the land. Since the property was listed for sale by owner, we reached out and got permission to come out and see the land. We walked the property as a family and completely fell in love. There’s a wet weather creek that runs through the property, it has a ginormous cottonwood tree along the creek that sounds like running water as the leaves blow in the wind. It has other beautiful trees (hidden amongst lots of cedars and mesquites), it has an old windmill that squeaks as it spins and just has so much potential (hidden behind some cactus) lol! The house is a double wide that definitely needed some TLC. We saw it all not for what it was, but for what it could be. We knew it would involve lots of sweat, family workdays, and sacrifice but knew it was all things we were ready to take on to be able to achieve this dream. The house has since undergone a full remodel (thanks to our dear friends Clay and Cole Bond with Hill Country Construction) and is practically unrecognizable. We continue to chip away at land clearing and are enjoying the transformation as we go. The kids all gear up in their work gloves, long sleeves, pants and boots and it becomes a family affair. We love the lessons they’re learning in the process and are grateful for every walk, sunset, the sounds of the birds singing, and just feeling immersed in Gods creation all around us. William has setup game cameras and checks them everyday to see all the wildlife we have. He is thriving and is truly in his element. Our Wren gets more brave and tough everyday. Day 1 she struggled to walk through tall grass (she’s our girly-girl) and now she’s pulling limbs into piles and telling us “I’m a crunchy (country) girl!” Wrae will run wide open through a field or down a rocky hill and never fear a thing… She keeps us on our toes but she is our free spirit and is loving every moment in the outdoors. We always love to talk about what Wesley would be doing. We can picture him riding his electric tractor around and loading up sticks in his wagon trying to be just like his daddy. 

The unspoken goodbyes are always hard. Saying goodbye to our house was one of those. In grief, there’s the chapters before our loss and the chapters after.  But one thing is for sure, the longest chapter, with our sweet Wesley included, awaits. Eternity is guaranteed and we will cling so tightly to that as we strive to live everyday in view of that never-ending chapter. 

The Lord has been good to us. Even in our grief, He has poured out His infinite love and comfort and has continued to shower our lives with blessings; both spiritually and physically. We can see those blessings and can say these things all because of one thing. Hope. 

Grieving as one who has hope is what has helped us survive the loss of our sweet son Wesley over the last two years. Clinging to hope has helped lift us up out of the trenches when we experience days or moments of despair. We heard a song a few month back called “Graves into Gardens”. It talks of how God can take bad things that happen in your life and make something beautiful out of it.  Hope has helped us see that God CAN turn graves into gardens. That garden, however, takes constant gardening. 

Tending that garden ultimately all boils down to tending the mind. This is not a foreign concept in scripture. The Bible tells us that “so [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7.  Tending the garden of the mind means constantly weeding and taking captive over negative thoughts that creep in. (2 Cor 10:5-6). Satan will use grief in your life. He will try to shift your thinking. (For example: Parents aren’t supposed to bury their children. Why me God? My problems and my pain are far greater than other people.  How can I worship a God that would allow this to happen?) Hear us out. It’s not wrong to think/ask these things as you’re processing your grief, but when you allow your mind to live here, it will inevitably bring a place of darkness. Although the loss of a child is extraordinary, unfortunately, it’s ordinary. Nobody is immune to it. We’re not the first to experience the loss of a child and regretfully, we will not be the last. In the Bible, David outlived his son, Job lived longer than his children, and we know that some of you, too, have experienced that same loss (or know somebody close that has). Jesus promised that we would face hardships and challenges in our lives. But He also promised that we can have an abundant life (John 10:10). Both can ring true. We can experience hardships, but we can also have a full and abundant life. Let that sink in. How can you achieve both? This can only come through a renewing of your mind. (Rom 12:1-2). You have to change your mind to change your life. 

Tending the garden of the grave means dwelling on the things that are true, pure, lovely, good and that are worthy of praise. The context there in Philippians 4:8 continues by saying that [when you do these things] “the God of PEACE will be with you.” Holding tightly to hope and all things that are good WILL bring peace. It’s like the hymn “Count your blessings”. Each verse of that song speaks of the difficulties you will endure in life (when you’re discouraged, thinking all is lost, when you’re burdened with a heavy load, when amid the conflict whether great or small). But the chorus says Count your many blessings. Name them one by one. And you will see what God hath done. Shift your thinking. Dwell on the things that are worthy of praise. 

There is so much power in the mind. When you endure challenges, choose to dwell on the sliver of good. Bring your awareness to the people God has put in your life to administer love and support. Focus on how this trial can shape you to be more like Christ. Dwell on how your faith and strength can encourage others to turn to God.  Ultimately, “consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬). 

Latest Family Update

Our family is doing really well. Our big boy William will be 8 in October and has found a huge passion and love for basketball. Literally eat, sleep and breathe basketball! Seriously. Quiz him on any NBA player and you will be blown away. We’re so proud of the young boy he’s growing into. He loves God and prioritizes worship above everything else. He loves to greet and give hugs and handshakes to the elderly members of our church and has the sweetest servant heart around the home. He is such a good big brother. He helps Wren and loves holding and cuddling on his sweet baby Wrae. I have to catch myself when someone asks how old he is. My grief has him stuck at 5, which is the age he was when Wesley moved to Heaven. I don’t know where time has gone. To be completely honest, the days, months and years seem to blur together but it’s a joy to watch him grow. 

We just celebrated what would have been Wesley’s 5th birthday. No matter the time that passes, the milestones, holidays and big events still bring about a heavy wave of grief where the sadness and loss just feel heightened. We miss him immensely. Our minds never stop wondering and asking what he would be like. (William is confident that he would love basketball and would be spending all day playing with him). I think he’s right. There’s truly no words to describe how our hearts long for him daily. In every mundane life experience. I’m confident that’s a feeling that will never go away (nor do I ever want it to). We are also confident that missing him will only feel like a short while compared to the reunion we will have for all of eternity. 

Wren just turned 3. She officially passed the age that Wesley will always be frozen in. That was tough, but her sweet little personality continues to shine everyday. She LOVES to talk about Wesley. She was only 8 months old when he moved to heaven, however, she speaks about him as if he was here yesterday. I’m grateful that our family has made his name a part of everyday conversation and grateful that her precious voice yells “this one’s for Wesley!” every time we do something fun. She is the girliest little girl and loves her princesses and Barbie’s, playing hair and makeup, and singing princess songs at the top of her lungs. She is so much fun and just makes our hearts swell!

Our Wrae is now 8 months old. She may be our happiest baby yet! She is almost always smiling so big and just exudes the greatest joy! Just like her siblings, she has been on the move early and is very close to taking steps. Wesley was our first to walk at 8.5 months so time will tell if she can match that. Her little crawl always has us laughing. She has refused to ever crawl on her knees so she bear crawls on her hands and feet everywhere she goes. She’s incredibly fast at it (which looks slightly creepy at times)! We call her our little Mowgli (the boy on the jungle book with his booty high in the sky as he crawls). She’s so fun. God knew we needed her bright light and I’m so very grateful for the Wrae of sunshine we have through her. 

Chris and I are still swimming in the ocean of grief but we’re learning to tread the rough waters. One of our deepest prayers is the lyrics to a song that we first heard at a singing at the Cedar Park church of Christ shortly after Wesley’s accident. It’s become one of our favorites. The lyrics are:

Jesus draw me ever nearer
As I labour through the storm.
You have called me to this passage,
and I’ll follow, though I’m worn.

May this journey bring a blessing,
May I rise on wings of faith;
And at the end of my heart’s testing,
With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest;
Keep my spirit staid and sure.
When the midnight meets the morning,
Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial
Form within me as I go –
And at the end of this long passage,
Let me leave them at Your throne.

As always, we pray that sharing these words can possibly encourage you to persevere with fervent and great hope the hardships we all inevitably endure. One thing that has been made very aware through conversation about grief, is that everyone suffers loss. Whether a sibling, parent, grandparent, spouse, child or grandchild. Whether they were young or old. Whether it was expected or unexpected. You have. And if you haven’t you will. Cling tightly to hope. Tend the garden of the grave and God can and will do great things through your grief.

Humility. Lowliness. A deep sense of one’s littleness. Grief, in accompany with God’s word, can be the ultimate teacher of humble gratitude. It has a way of bringing you low. Challenging you to reflect on God’s sovereignty. Demonstrating God’s complete control and our lack thereof, and inevitably brings to light our purpose in this world. For these reasons, and many more, we are humbly grateful to grief.

From the time of Wesley’s accident, we have diligently tried to let gratitude transcend our circumstances. We’ve tried to find various lights in the midst of darkness and cling to them. Here are some of the “lights” of gratitude that we grip ever so tightly most often:

We are incredibly grateful for the life Wesley lived. He has forever touched our hearts in the most perfect and precious ways. We are beyond blessed with memories of the sweetest laughs and giggles, the warmest and sweetest cuddles, and the richest love.

We are so grateful to God that in the midst of such tragedy, Wesley never hurt. He never felt fear or pain. His passing was such a beautiful and peaceful transition from a joy-filled life, to the most perfect home not made with hands (2 Corinthians. 5:1).

We’re humbly grateful for the perfect condition of Wesley’s earthly body. Although his brain was badly injured, his organs were left viable and completely unscathed. He was able to change lives in the most beautiful ways possible by gifting families with hope, when all hope may have seemed lost. He gifted his kidneys to a 42-year-old man, Ray, who has two young children at home. He gifted his heart to a 12-month-old little girl, and his lungs to a one-year-old girl. Truly the purest and sweetest legacy you can leave.

We are immensely grateful for the outpour of love and support from our families, friends, community and even strangers. From lifting the financial burden of medical costs, meals, flowers, cards, acts of kindness, and so much more. We wish we could hug each of you, but please know, from the bottom of our hearts, that we are so humbly grateful to each and every one of you.

We are so grateful for the precious new perspective. Clarissa Moll stated it beautifully when she said, “From our angle on the ground, we can see God’s goodness in new ways. In the dirt and dust of our circumstances, His peace can still reign.” Wesley’s move to heaven will forever shape our perspective and gives us an eternal focus everyday of our lives.

Ultimately, we are humbly grateful for the perfect life, death and resurrection of our Savior. For the abundant life we can have through Him (John 10:10). For the spiritual blessings we partake of through Him (Ephesians 1:3). We are so grateful to serve a God that is so rich in grace and mercy and whom provides the gift of salvation and the hope of heaven if we choose to follow and obey him (John 14:15, Ephesians 2:4-6).

A dear friend Melinda (who knows a thing or two about gratitude in the midst of hardship) shared this beautiful excerpt on social media several months back that really sheds light on the beauty that can come from times of darkness and despair. Originally written by Kimberly Henderson, Henderson writes,

“I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.  

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul’s spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.  

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power-hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.  

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend. I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain. But right now, I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce.  He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He’s watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He’s promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it all feels like more than you can bear.”

-Kimberly Henderson

In the cumbersome and heavy burden of grief, we choose gratitude.  Humble gratitude for the love that stems from the loss, for the lessons that God is teaching through the challenges, and for the opportunity to turn every blessing He pours out, into praise (Hebrews 13:15). We choose to “consider it joy” as we journey through the trials and hardships, knowing God’s goodness and glory will prevail (James 1:2-3). We choose today, tomorrow, and until God calls us home, to be prayerful and discerning and HUMBLY THANKFUL for this road we are on.        

You may have noticed the hashtag attached to several of our social media posts #ThisOnesForWesley. It has become a common phrase that is used almost on a daily basis in our house. It all started in the weeks following Wesley’s move to heaven. After Wesley’s celebration of life and all of our family returned home, the dust settled forcing us to embrace our new reality. We sat down as a family and made an exhaustive list of all of Wesley’s favorites in life. In the weeks following, we set out on a journey to honor Wesley through experiencing as many things on the list as possible. Thus where #ThisOnesForWesley originated.

 It was incredibly difficult to experience all of those things for the first time without the physical presence of Wesley, but I’m so grateful that we pushed through those difficulties and embraced the emotions that arose because it truly set the tone of how we would choose to grieve. We made a conscious choice not to avoid doing the things that he loved, or shy from the places or moments that reminded us of him, but rather honor him by allowing his memory to flood our minds and try to live a life that he would’ve loved. A life that rings with and holds true to the phrase “This one’s for Wesley”. The paradox of simultaneous joy and sorrow continue in that phrase as we are always equally filled with such joy but also such sadness. It is a paradox that I’m confident will stay with us until we cross over and join our sweet boy in eternal bliss.

August 19^th would’ve been Wesley’s third birthday. To be completely honest, it was a day that we were dreading. As the day drew closer, the heaviness grew stronger. One of the heaviest feelings that was confronting us and continues to confront us is the aspect of time. The further removed we are from the day of Wesley’s move to heaven, the more diminished the memory of his touch feels, and the fainter the memory of his sweet little voice and laughter become. Even all the mundane daily memories of making three kid’s plates at dinner, and loading and unloading three kids in and out of the car, and wrangling three children during worship services feel fuzzier and fuzzier with time. It hurts that Wren and William are growing out of the clothes they wore when Wesley was still here. Its hard that Wren hits new milestones and says new words without Wesley here to have a joyful and proud reaction. These are just the tip of the iceberg of some of the emotions that were weighing heavy on our hearts, however, the love and support that our friends and family showered on us this day brought such comfort to our hearts. So many people participated in our #ThisOnesForWesley day. They joined in a balloon release, or took part in honoring Wesley by doing some of his favorite things, or hugged our necks and joined us in song and worship, sent cards or texts, or prayed on our behalf. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for you all. It meant the world to us for you to honor our sweet baby boy and encourage and support us during a hard time. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

This past weekend, Chris’s sister, Chrystal, got married. It was a beautiful weekend full of love but also of mixed emotions. Wesley would’ve been the ring bearer… Which makes Chris and I giggle to consider what in the world we would’ve had to do to coerce our shy and timid boy down the aisle. Honestly, it would’ve been his worst nightmare and I’m not completely confident that it would’ve happened lol. Nonetheless, the flood gates of tears opened for us and several family members during the rehearsal when William started walking down clinging tightly to his “Wesley bear”. It was a true #ThisOnesForWesley moment and we were so proud of his bravery and confidence to represent his little brother.

We are confident that nobody uses or says “this one’s for Wesley” as much as William. It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking in the same moment. Ultimately though, it makes us so happy that Wesley’s name is spoken so often in our home regardless of the pain it brings, and his memory will always be embraced throughout our journey in life. Although time continues, and each day removes us farther from his presence here, each day is also one day closer to our perfect reunion in Heaven.

May we all remember the brevity of life. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14). The bible likens our lives to the fog in the morning. It’s only here for a moment and then dissipates. The fog represents our short temporal nature on this earth, but it doesn’t represent our minds. Don’t let your mind be clouded and unfocused in this life. Don’t let the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word” (Matthew 13:22). “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15) and may we all wholeheartedly strive to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).

“There’s a place of quiet stillness ‘tween the light and shadows reach,
Where the hurting and the hopeless seek everlasting peace,
Words of men and songs of angels whisper comfort bittersweet,
Mending grief and life eternal where joy and sorrow meet. There’s a place of thirst and hunger where the roots of faith grow deep,
And there is rain and rolling thunder when the road is rough and steep,
There is hope in desperation, there is victory in defeat,
At the cross of restoration where joy and sorrow meet.”

Lyrics from ‘Where and Sorrow Meet’ – Avalon

The place where joy and sorrow meet has become a very familiar place for us. It is the same place where there is victory in defeat, and where there is hope in desperation. It is a place where the spirit battles the flesh. We are immersed and living in this paradox. It is a constant mental pull in opposite directions, but its one that we are incredibly grateful for. It is a pull from God that brings us out of the pits of despair and into a place of hope.

If this concept is confusing, perhaps there is a common experience that may prove more relatable. John 16:21 talks about the mixed emotions that are experienced in the midst of childbirth. Scripture reads, “When a woman is giving birth, she has SORROW because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for JOY that a human being has been born into the world.” That pain brings forth an overwhelming happiness that makes all the shed tears, all the pain and all the anguish worth it, right? That moment is the place where joy and sorrow meet.

We constantly have feelings that Wesley missed out. He never learned to ride the paw patrol bike he got for Christmas, or learn to catch with the new baseball glove we bought him the day of the accident, he didn’t get to go to summer camps, have a first day of school, play sports, or walk across the stage to receive a high school diploma… The list goes on and on. When we look at life through a spiritual lens, however, Wesley missed out on absolutely nothing. In fact, he avoided the hurdles and obstacles of life that most of us and our children will have to overcome. He took a shortcut straight to the finish line. If it is all of our goal to get to heaven, how did Wesley “miss out”? He didn’t. We are the ones that missed out on watching him experience those things, no doubt, but our love for Wesley is so strong that we wouldn’t want him to leave the perfection and beauty he is experiencing now just to experience those earthly milestones. In fact, there is not a shadow of a doubt in my mind that if he could tell us anything today, he would tell us we’re missing out. This, again, is that place where joy and sorrow meet. It is the place where our hearts are filled with immense loss and sorrow but God fills us with this remarkable and beautiful hope and joy of Heaven.

We have regular feelings of desperation and defeat. Those moments where the grief overwhelms our soul and takes us to our knees. The moments when we feel like we are treading water in the middle of a tsunami of deep loss. The HOPE in desperation and the VICTORY in defeat is the eternal. This overwhelming pain and immense grief are temporal; thus, we strive to cling to the hope and the victory which is eternity in a place where tears are wiped away in the presence of our great God and loving Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s important to note that we serve a God that is no stranger to paradoxes. We are told to rejoice in suffering in Romans 5:3-5. Matthew 5:4 says “blessed are those who mourn”. We are so blessed that God that truly understands those conflicting feelings and the pull between the spirit and the flesh. We recognize that its completely healthy to feel the hurt, the pain, the sadness and all the difficult emotions that come with grief. These feelings don’t always have to be followed by optimism. Somedays, it’s hard to pull ourselves from the sadness to focus on the joy. And that’s ok. But when we make the shift to the spiritual and eternal, it is then that we can experience the JOY in the midst of sorrow, the HOPE in desperation, and the VICTORY in defeat; and its then that we can feel the immeasurable and invaluable comfort and peace that truly surpasses all understanding.

Additionally, there’s another place where joy and sorrow meet. There is a sorrow, godly sorrow, that overcomes us when we recognize, with a penitent heart, that our sins and transgressions have separated us from God (Isaiah 59:2). The sorrow that we experience when we realize that we are not living in accordance with God’s word, and thus, are not on the narrow path that leads to heaven (Matt 7:13-14) Thanks be to God that because of His goodness, love, grace and mercy, this sorrow can be followed up with Joy. We can live with the beautiful assurance of Heaven. The bible teaches that if we have heard and believe the gospel (Romans 10:17), repent of our sins (Acts 2:38), confess Jesus as the Christ (Romans 10:10) and are baptized with much water to wash away our sins (Acts 2:38, Acts 8:36-39, 1 Peter 3:21) then we can know we have been made innocent again, like all children including our sweet Wesley so we may join him again some day in heaven. For further study on this, CLICK HERE. In John 14:15 Jesus tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Oh how we love Him and will strive to be obedient and sing His praises today and the days to come. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

“Our lives, though marred with sorrow and colored with grief, are made for flourishing, not death. We were made for use, for work and prayer and praise, not in isolation from grief but in the midst of it. In the hands of the Good Shepherd, pain can be transformed into purpose, life redeemed from the pit of despair. Even our grief need not be wasted.”

Clarissa Moll ‘Beyond the Darkness’

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It’s truly every parent’s worst nightmare, yet, it is our reality.

On March 6, 2022, our lives were completely shaken and turned upside down. Our two-year-old son, Wesley, had a fall and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was air flighted to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas. We crumbled when the Doctors delivered Wesley’s poor prognosis.

After several days of various tests, our worst fears were confirmed: Wesley showed no signs of brain activity. Inwardly, we were completely shattered, however, our faith assured us that God heard our cry and truly answered our prayers…. In HIS way. He healed Wesley to a measure of healing beyond our comprehension. He assured us Wesley was truly free from any and all pain, and that he was able to make it home… A home not made with hands. A home greater than a home we can provide.

God gave Wesley beautiful and amazing opportunities. He gave him opportunities to change lives. He changed lives physically through the donation of his beautiful and viable organs, and he also changed lives spiritually. We like to say that he was the greatest two-year-old evangelists. Because of him, people increased their prayer life, focused on God, and reflected on the spiritual.

In the midst of this adversity, God is also giving us an opportunity. An opportunity to Praise Him in this storm, an opportunity to find purpose in our pain, and ultimately, an opportunity to remind ourselves of the brevity of life. In the weeks following Wesley’s move to heaven, we saw this video that put into words exactly how we were feeling. If watched with sincerity of heart, it will change your day-to-day life and completely shift your focus. Stop scrolling and CLICK HERE.

Our Takeaways:

Life is so short. Even if we are blessed to live a long life, it is still just a speck compared to eternity. We will miss our sweet Wesley boy every single second of every single day, but it is such a short amount of time compared to the ETERNITY we will spend together. While on times side of eternity, we must view trials through the lens of scripture.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

I PETER 5:7

Additionally, how we live our lives on earth determines WHERE we spend our lives for eternity.

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

ECCLESIASTES 12:13

We cannot hide from trials and difficulties in life. We do, however, have choices on how we will embrace them. We can choose to allow them to produce an emptiness of darkness and despair; or we can choose to praise God in the midst of these heavy storms of life. Friends, He is a God that is beyond worthy of our praise regardless of our circumstances.

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Have you heard the song ‘Say I Won’t’ by Mercy Me? We are determined to be “Dancing when circumstances drown the music out”. It is a mental struggle everyday, and somedays we don’t win the battle, but we will win the war. We will choose to serve God every day, praising Him for His promises, and will aspire to be prayerful and discerning as we learn to live with the heaviness of grief. We will trust that His ways are truly higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8), we will thank Him for holding our sweet Wesley boy so tight, and we will long earnestly for the day when we can all be reunited again. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

“There’s a great day coming, a great day coming, there’s a great day coming by and by, when the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left, are you ready for that day to come?” This was Wesley’s favorite church song. I often chuckle at that. A song about the judgment day is an interesting favorite for a two-year-old, right? But we are so thankful it was his favorite. We watch videos on repeat of his sweet little voice singing “There’s a great day coming” and we cling to those words so tightly. We hear those words with full confidence that he knows just how great it really is, and we let it serve as a reminder to us. So yes, Wesley, there is a great day coming and we will live everyday in view of that day.

Friends, it is our fervent prayer that you will do the same. We love all of you and want it to be a great reunion for all of us someday when we reach that beautiful goal. “Are you ready for that day to come?” We pray you can have confidence and assurance of heaven through the study and obedience of God’s word. If this is what you desire, and you don’t know where to start, get your bible, watch this video, and with a sincere heart, evaluate your life in view of eternity.