Legacy

There is Hope “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” -- Romans 15:13 NIV The Bible is filled with passages of hope. Peter tells us that we should praise God for granting us a living hope. Peter 1:2-4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Death might be easier to bear if our loved ones did not first have to physically die before being reborn to their spiritual bodies in Heaven. It is a price we pay because of Adam's sin. Yet, God, in His infinite wisdom, has chosen not to allow us to simply become dust, but to raise us up to share His Kingdom with Our Savior. When a family experiences tragedy, especially the loss of a child, their faith is tested to the extreme. These are the times when we must remember the words of our Savior and cling to His promise and hope. We will be reunited with our loved ones in Heaven. When the Lord calls a child home, it is easy to allow grief to become so overwhelming that it can lead a person to becoming self-centered. Instead of sharing grief and seeking comfort with another person, the individual's pain becomes a beacon, drawing the person inside where he or she picks apart the heart in misery, shutting out a spouse, and, sometimes, other still-living children. This often leads to the break-up of a marriage, destroying the beautiful relationship and sacred bond that God has entrusted to the couple. Although our faith was sorely tested, and at times, we seemed to be losing the battle, Monique's enduring love and faith reminded us of God's promise and hope and in the end, we persevered. Loss vs. Gain The loss of a child is a tragedy of epic proportion. Every facet of our lives was altered. It challenged the very core of our marriage, and severely tested the stability of our family. As chaos infiltrated our home, God reminded us that losing a child was not an acceptable reason for either divorce or the disintegration of our family. Yet in the midst of our grief, these thoughts were fleeting considerations. Faith is a word easily spoken in the confines of church. But we did not understand the true meaning of faith until this tragedy attempted to overwhelm our lives. Faith gained an almost supernatural definition, as we realized the power that comes from real faith. We realized the plan and purpose of our lives placed before us. The simple question was would we seize it and run the race, or would we self-destruct, forever falling into a dark bottomless abyss? Yes, we lost a child, and in dealing with this loss and the seemingly insurmountable grief, we nearly lost ourselves, struggling with the thought that we, her parents, had outlived our child. We were suffocating as we choked upon our own grief. Monique's passing was wrong, completely out-of-order. How could a child, who had so much to offer, be snatched from the arms of her parents? Often, God brought this into our remembrance, Isaiah 55: 8-9: That my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways, for as Heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts". The answers to the questions we so desired would not be known to us, until we stood before the Lord. Life would continue, with us or without us. There were moments when we chose to abstain from life, yet still, life continued. In the darkness of our room we cried out to God for a reason, a simple answer as to why Monique went home. Yet, no answer was forthcoming, just the deadly quiet of our room, the rhythmic breath of my wife, as the hands of God captured her silent tears. The loss was very real. In the midst of our loss, we realized that there was gain. What could we have possibly gained by the loss of Monique? We gained the revelation that there was no loss. Monique went back to where she came from. We will all go back to where we came from. We are all only on loan from the almighty God. Through Monique's passing God granted us a glimpse of eternity, allowing us to experience Heaven in a supernatural way. God set upon us, his knowledge, that Heaven is a real place and eternity is forever. It is our desire and belief that you will find not only peace, but inspiration in life through Monique's testimony, personal memories, and the stories of those who knew her. We hope you will gain the understanding that it is possible to have a Christ like effect on the lives of others. Simply stated, we can touch lives in a `Monique' kind of way. More importantly, it is not only our revelation, but hopefully, also yours, that life only begins on earth. For those in Christ will pass on to an eternal life -- a permanent life in Heaven.