By Ben Disney
“Let the children come to me, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
Anderson Maxwell Graham, son of Aaron Graham and Rev. DeAndrea Dare died this week. The loss of any human being is difficult, but the death of a child is altogether different. There is no deeper pain or more excruciating grief. We hold DeAndrea, Aaron and their family in our deepest prayers. They are part of our family. Their loss is also our loss. Their pain and grief is also ours to bear as well. These are the moments when a church becomes the body of Christ.
My sadness comes in knowing they will have to walk a different path from this moment on. Nothing we can say or do can change what has happened. But in the midst of the deepest pain, we know God’s love is even deeper. No simple answers, no easy clichés, no little sermonettes designed to fill the emptiness with shallow words; no, this is a moment to be honest about the pain we feel and the doubts we have. It’s also the moment when we once again walk by faith into a mystery we do not understand searching for answers we do not have. What we need more than simple answers is a presence and a promise of God’s enduring love. If we believe anything about God, then we know it was God’s heart that broke first when Anderson died. And the God we love knows something about the pain of losing a son.
So, Anderson Maxwell Graham, here’s what we want you to know. For 28 weeks you had the best parents any child could ever ask for. They loved you more deeply and completely than you may ever know. You were born in prayer and you left this world surrounded by the love and prayers of your mother and father. The reason it hurts so much is because they loved you so much. Your death didn’t end any of that. They will always be in you and you will always be in them. This we believe: you will see each other again. Anderson Maxwell Graham, for seven months you had the best parents any child could ever ask for; now you are with the Father in heaven who will hold you in his arms until your parents welcome you back into theirs.
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