I Choose Gratitude: A 5-Day Plan on Being Grateful When Life Is ToughSample

Day 2: Grateful in the Midst of Grief

Grief was a stranger in my life until my husband Eric and I lost our firstborn child to SIDS. Our hearts were broken, and through the most complex and painful journey, we chose to believe God was with us, and our daughter Esther Grace, is with God.

I rested in Psalm 34:18: The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Peace came from diving into God's word. Jesus had a plan more extensive than we could fathom.

The word the Holy Spirit gave me was right on time and cast all of my worries away. When God gives us his perfect gifts, a piece of heaven will tear open. When God takes those same treasures away, our hearts tear, and God gives us the grace to keep living, to provide comfort, and ultimately win the gift of eternal life. When we trust in the Lord, it’s more precious than gold.

When trials come, we, as believers, continue to trust God throughout. God continues to provide, and our faith will grow stronger.

The day our daughter went to be with the Lord, my husband Eric was restlessly looking for a Word. When I turned the page of our devotional calendar, I read this scripture out loud:

1st Peter 1:7: These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

December 21st will always be a day of grief & joy. Sad, we won’t be able to hold our precious child in our arms again, but grateful God trusted us to use our pain for good and to praise our Abba, Father, for all of our days. Amen.

As a result of our loss, we started the Esther Grace Foundation to walk alongside families who have experienced the loss of a child.

Written by Monet Translavia