Favorite Lines from Lament for a Son

 My friend Dan lent me a book entitled Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff.  The book was written as Wolterstorff, a philosophy professor, responded to the tragic death of his 25 year old son who had fallen while climbing.  

Perhaps the subject of lamenting the death of a son is fresh, but this book is the best book on the suffering caused by death that I can recall reading.  I am a fan of C.S. Lewis, but I believe this tops A Grief Observed.

Let me share a few lines from the brief 111 page book.

"He was a gift to us for twenty-five years. When the gift was finally snatched away, I realized how great it was. Then I could not tell him." p. 13

"We say, 'I know how you are feeling.' But we don't." p. 25

"We are to hold the past in remembrance and not let it slide away. For in history we find God." p. 28

"A friend said, 'Remember, he's in good hands.' I was deeply moved. But that reality does not put Eric back in my hands now. That's my grief. For that grief, what consolation can there be other than having him back?" p. 31

On how to know what to say to one grieving... "Your words don't have to be wise. The heart that speaks is heard more than the words spoken... What I need to hear from you is that you recognize how painful it is... To comfort me, you have to come close. Come sit beside me on my mourning bench." p. 34

"...no one thinks death is more awful that it is. It's those who think it's not so bad that need correcting." p. 35

"Back and forth, lament and faith, faith and lament, each fastened to the other. A bruised faith, a longing faith, a faith emptied of nearness." p. 71

"Instead of explaining our suffering God shares it." p. 81

"Authentic life is to image God ever more closely by becoming like Jesus Christ, the express image of the Father... Do we also mirror God in suffering?" p. 83

"Blessed are those who mourn... Who then are the mourners? The mourners are those who have caught a glimpse of God's new day, who ache with all their being for that day's coming, and who break out into tears when confronted with its absence... The mourners are aching visionaries." p. 85-87

"Some do not suffer much, though, for they do not love much. Suffering is for the loving... In commanding us to love, God invites us to suffer." p. 89

"'Put your hand into my wounds,' said the risen Jesus to Thomas, 'and you will know who I am.' The wounds of Christ are His identity. They tell us who He is. He did not lose them." p. 92

"In my living my son's dying will not be the last word. But as I rise up, I bear the wounds of his death. My rising does not remove them. They mark me. If you want to know who I am, put your hand in." p. 93

I commend this book to all those who have suffered loss today.

When the Book Stack Was Perfect

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 

On the evening of Groundhog Day I went to a conference in St. Paul, Minnesota with a bunch of guys from church.  It is a wonderful conference and I would recommend it.  At the conference is a fantastic room full of books, and mostly discounted books.  I knew I was going to buy a couple but not how on earth was I going to pick.  There were so many good ones.  I got a book for the whole family, a book for my oldest and finally a book for myself.  

Little did I know how much I was going to need and want that exact book.

When I got back from the conference I took the books I bought and some that were gifts of the conference and set them in a stack.  I still had another book to get to before I would start any of these, but I put them in a stack to read next.

I finished the book I was reading prior and then a young man who I love was tragically killed in an accident.  With glassy, tear-soaked eyes I decided to grab my next book and I couldn't have asked for a better book for that moment.

All Things for Good (formally A Divine Cordial) by Thomas Watson was the book on the top of the stack.

Things are often called a godsend.  This book, which is entirely based on Romans 8:28, was God sent.  I encourage you to read it. While originally published in 1633, it is very approachable and Watson is a master of great sentences.  Let me share some of my many favorite lines from the book and maybe you'll decide to add it to your book stack today.

"This expression 'work together' refers to medicine. Several poisonous ingredients put together, being tempered by the skill of the apothecary, make a sovereign medicine, and work together for the good of the patient." p. 5

"Do not mistake me; I do not say that of their own nature the worst things are good, for they are a fruit of the curse; but though they are naturally evil, yet the wise, overruling hand of God disposing and sanctifying them, they are morally good." p. 21

"It is dangerous to judge others, but it is good to judge ourselves... When a man has judged himself, Satan is put out of office... he is able to retort and say, 'It is true, Satan, I am guilty of these sins, but I have judged myself already for them; and having condemned myself in the lower court of conscience, God will acquit me in the upper court of Heaven." p. 48

"If God does not give you that which you like, He will give you that which you need. A physician does not so much study to please the taste of the patient, as to cure his disease." p. 52

"What a blessed condition is a true believer! When he dies, he goes to God; and while he lives, everything shall do him good." p. 56

"No man did ever come off a loser by his acquaintance with God." p. 57

"The more we enjoy of Him, the more we are ravished with delight." p. 94

"God would have us part with nothing for Him, but that which will damn us if we keep it. He has no design upon us, but to make us happy." p. 118