Why I Hope in God Through Teenage Grief

Just when I thought I was in control and life seemed

easy, God woke me up to the reality of the consequences

of sin.

When Eve took that first bite from the fruit in the

garden of Eden, she acted upon her rebellious motive,

“My reasoning must be better than God's command!”

Choosing to lean upon your own understanding

instead of trusting in God with all your heart always leads

to devastating punishment, some of it immediate, and some

long-term: death and separation from God in hell.

I had never personally tasted the horror of death before the day my little brother died. Sure, I heard of the older person who died that was a grandparent of a friend's cousin's mom, or something of the sort. I knew that death struck hard and pain marked the way of grief. Natural disasters killed even children, but they never touched me. I was in my own little safe world, far away from death's sting. It was easy to trust in a God who did not let anything bad happen to me.

But as Jesus promised his disciples, in this world I did have trouble. On February 18, 2011, God took my 12-year-old brother Trent home in a skiing accident. On that cold, icy night, I knew the power that sin held over this world. Seeing Trent's stiff, yellow body emptied of his spirit lying on a helpless hospital bed struck my heart with the seriousness of sin and the holiness of God. God is this holy, he is so important and set apart from us that one offense as an expression from a dirty, rebellious heart must be justly punished by eternal suffering, forever away from the presence of God.

Literally seeing and touching my brother's dead body, who had days ago walked by my side, excited over yet another aspect of Star Wars, teased me over how much my future husband would love my new earrings, and stood in awe of God with me – seeing him lay limp and drained of his spirit made me realize how holy God is, and that all sin directly or indirectly leads to death.

Now I must complete the verse I mentioned earlier: John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The God-breathed Scripture teaches again and again that our God is in complete control and planned absolutely everything for his glory first and foremost. He chose to allow Adam and Eve to disobey him and sin in the Garden of Eden to fulfill an even better plan: to redeem (buy back) his people. As slaves to sin in offense to the Holy God, we deserve his wrath forever. But in his grace to glorify his name, God sent Jesus to die a shameful death on the cross to pour out his blood in an act of paying the debt of those he chose from a sinful people to glorify his Father.

Out of his great mercy, God chose to draw Trent near to him and believe in Jesus for his salvation, thus saving him! Because God saved him, Trent is now in Heaven with him as he promised. God himself has given us hope in his promises in his Word:

“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5.

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep (die), or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Through the days of tear-stained grief, we lift up our eyes to God and trust in his Word, knowing that he disciplines his sons he loves. Passing up the temporary, sin-tainted pleasures of this world and this life, we strive on toward the goal to finish the race and store up eternal Heavenly rewards that God promised. God comforts me, his redeemed child, according to his promise to comfort his children as a mother comforts her child. As Jesus causes my heart to trust him, I can say, sometimes literally through the tears, “Oh death, where is thy sting?” For Jesus has already overcome the world!

Throughout this process, our family has been constantly asking many people a question I want to challenge you with. If you died tonight and faced God, would he sentence you to Heaven or hell? Why? How can you be sure?