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.
No comments:
Post a Comment