A Light for My Path

I’ve written several times about concerns that bereaved parents have. My main reason for doing so is I don’t want grieving parents to add to their heartache and worry with thoughts that they are not normal or they are displeasing God. A frequent concern expressed by parents is that they don’t want to make an idol out of their deceased child. Another way of putting that is they don’t want the desire to see their child again in Heaven becomes their primary reason for going to Heaven.

I have heard people use Matthew 6:21 as a backdrop for this concern. This single verse is a part of the whole “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus saw his disciples and a large crowd of people gathering, so he used this opportunity to preach to them. Matthew’s transcript of Jesus’s sermon takes up three chapters (5-7) of his writings. It includes the Beatitudes and the “Lord’s Prayer.” Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When looked at in context, this verse clearly reminds us that earthly wealth and treasures can be fleeting. We should not count on Earthly wealth to sustain us after death.

A good lesson, but what does it have to do with idolizing our deceased children? Nothing! Yet, many grieving parents add to their pain by worrying that their heart is with their child – their greatest treasure – who is in Heaven. And, they extrapolate that to idolizing the child they mourn.

The first and second of the ten commandments state “You shall have no other gods before me” and “You shall not make idols”. Exodus 20:2. Again, many people interpret this as anything we set as a higher priority than God is an idol. That basic statement is correct. We should not set anything in our life above God. Not tangible goods, not wealth, not other people.

But, again, longing to see your child in Heaven does not mean that you have idolized her. You have not put her above God.

I admit though to having this worry from time to time. Knowing that I could possibly have another 30 years on this earth makes me wonder how I can possibly go that long without seeing my daughter. I envision bursting through the Pearly Gates calling her name and just holding her in a hug for a thousand years.

But, shouldn’t I look for Jesus first?

It’s hard to grasp eternity. But, when I get an inkling of what it will be like, I realize that there is no need to rush. I can stand or kneel in awe of my Maker for a hundred thousand years. And then look for Rachel and my parents and my friends for another hundred thousand years, and it won’t matter. There’s always more time. The treasure will always be there. Not idols. But, everything my heart has stored up. Forever.

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Laura