Do you know how to use the quote feature, it is really helpful when reading posts, I know someone had to explain to me how to use it....?
"so you really want to sit there in your ivory tower and tell me that God is punishing us for teaching the trinity by taking our son? Or that God is punishing us for teaching what scripture says about loving your enemies, by allowing our sons to be physically assaulted to the point in which we thought we would need to take them to the ER????? really, that is your wise counsel? Wow, if God is punishing us for standing firm on His word, I would hate to see what happens to someone who opposes Him...wow!"
Heavens no.... I am not even saying he is punishing you, hence the word perhaps that I used. However look to the natural to confirm spiritual. If a child misbehaves pain is the greatest contradiction to action.
yep, and scripture also tells us that this world is full of pain and sorrow, and that isn't about correction, it's about the very nature of a fallen world.
"you mean something like Love Him with all our hearts, minds and exceeding? or something like giving Him all we are or ever hope to be? Maybe you are referring to our denying self so that we can serve Him?"
You can love your father but still misbehave. That much is plain.
yep, and sometimes I do sin, but God's Love correction isn't like this, there is no indication, suggestion, or direct link to God's Love correction and something like loosing a child. Why would you think that God would "bring harm to another" just to correct your behavior? Wouldn't that be very boastful on your part, to think that your life and testimony was so impressive and special that God would take the life of another just to correct your sinful behavior? God's correction is of you, not someone else. Just like our child's misbehavior, we don't kill his dog to correct him from running out into the street, rather we allow the punishment to be against the child, through grounding, spanking, etc. God is no different. When He punishes us, the punishment is about us, not about an innocent person standing by that we love. You really do need to find some healing from your loss, but blaming God isn't how you find that healing.
"I think you need to learn more about God and His amazing Love for you...I mean no disrespect, and I don't know what, how or why you had a miscarrage, but I do know that from the post, you don't really understand God's Love, nor do you understand the difference between a miscarriage and loosing an 18 year old son. Your pain is equally real, but they are far from the same pain."
Pain is pain. Indeed yours is far greater
I'm not even measuring "greatness" of pain, please don't put words in my mouth, all I said is that they are far from the same pain, I said absolutely nothing about one being greater or less than another.
but at that time, when I learned of it my other children weren't even a thought in my mind. I've been cut, beat up, stabbed.... nothing compared. I know God's love well, but I know his punishments as well. Why would any parent not punish their child.
Hear me, dear one, God does punish those He Loves, but He punishes us, not those around us. A good father doesn't punish the neighbor kid, or the sibling for what the child does, instead, he punishes the child. God our Father is no different, He does not punish our spouse, our neighbor, our children for our sin, He punishes us. That is why I know without a doubt in my mind that this was not a punishment and neither was your loss. There are truths we can add, but they are really not necessary. God's Love correction, is given to the one who offends, not the innocent one whom we Love. In fact, for God to use others to correct us, would be kidnapping and torture and manipulation, none of which are Love. I really would love to talk to you more about this, I really think you need to find some healing from your loss and I think it begins with understanding that your loss isn't about God's correction, but rather it is about God's Love. If you won't talk to me about this, please find someone to help you understand this concept.
I can testify to you that our sons death was the result of God's amazing Love and grace, not the result of my or my husbands sin. Once we discovered the Love hidden within the sorrow and grief, we began the journey of healing, but it begins with understanding the pure Love God has for you, a Love that without doubt corrects, but not in an evil and selfish way, but rather in grace, mercy, tenderness, compassion, and Love kind of way.
Once again, I'm not saying he is, but if you think for one second God will not punish his children for not doing what he wants them to do then you are wrong. I punish my children as I hope you do. God is no different.
I believe with all my heart that God corrects His children, in fact, I get into a lot of trouble for claiming just that, but I also know that He punishes the child not the people around that child. Your child would learn nothing about what he/she did wrong, if the sibling or neighbor were punished. No, the punishment is to you, not your child, not your spouse...the punishment is yours and when you try to pass that punishment off onto others, you aren't learning what you need to learn, when you see your child as paying the price for your disobedience, you are not learning what God needs you to learn, but instead, you are puffing yourself up as something you are not, you are making God out to be evil, and you are missing the point of the correction completely.
"God alone is my strength, and that is not just a cliche."
Then go to him alone as he will provide your answer. NOT insight, not only comfort but solid "THIS IS WHY IT HAPPENED"
What do you think the OP question was asking? It never once asked why our son was taken from our arms, but rather it was asking why people continue to use his death as a weapon to try and destroy us. The answer to that question is all over scripture and in our hearts as well...because the thoughts of a mans heart is only evil continually...that is the answer to the question. But knowing how evil a mans heart really is, doesn't really bring comfort. Knowing how to forgive, how to Love, how to overcome evil is where the comfort is. The answer is also in the passages that tell us that those who hate God will hate us as well, but that does little to help us understand why or how someone could hate our Lord. You see, you don't even seem to understand the question, how then can you answer it? Our sons death is something I partially understand and partially don't, and that is okay with me, I know without doubt that his death was a Love act of God and I can trust in that, it's called faith. What I still struggle with is understanding how it is possible for man to be so evil as to try to use his death as a weapon of destruction. That kind of evil is just simply outside my ability to fathom. What I still don't understand is how someone could so hate the King of kings and Lord of lords that gave His life a ransom for them, that is still outside my ability to fathom, and so I ask for insight as to how mans' heart could be so evil, how could man hate our Lord so much...
This is all I will say on the matter. Once again I will commend your strength and courage because in my mind you're far more a role model and hero for children than the ones they look up to now. God bless and I pray he reveals to you.
I really would like to talk to you more, even if in PM or emails, your heart needs to find healing and that can only come from the Lord God, and it begins with understanding that what happened didn't happen as a correction of you, but rather it was a Love gift from God to you.