"For I will turn their mourning into JOY and
I will comfort them and give them
JOY for their sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13
I will comfort them and give them
JOY for their sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13
We lost our sweet baby Joy on Saturday, June 19. I was 7.5 weeks pregnant. My due date would've been Feb. 1 the same day as Cade's birthday. Needless to say the last two weeks have been hard. We don't understand the why, but we know that our God is good and ordained all of Baby Joy's days before they came to pass. Even though her life was short, we have learned so much from Joy.
We will never forget her little life. I am choosing to be thankful for the days spent with her inside of me. God is the giver of life and He chooses when that life ends. We have no control over life, no matter how hard we try or how much we think we do.
There has been so much Scripture and many songs that have spoken to us during our time of hurting. One song that has really been good for me is Desert Song by Hillsong. My favorite line is "All of my life, in every season, You are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship." God is still God no matter what my circumstances and because of that I have reason to worship Him. I am choosing the joy that comes only from my God, no matter my circumstance.
"Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, I will say it again rejoice." Phil 4:4
"I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom 15:13
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for JOY and I will give thanks to Him in song." Psalm 28:7
These are poems that Matt wrote for Joy. They are dear to my heart. On the hard days, they have brought so much comfort to my heart.
We will never forget her little life. I am choosing to be thankful for the days spent with her inside of me. God is the giver of life and He chooses when that life ends. We have no control over life, no matter how hard we try or how much we think we do.
There has been so much Scripture and many songs that have spoken to us during our time of hurting. One song that has really been good for me is Desert Song by Hillsong. My favorite line is "All of my life, in every season, You are still God. I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship." God is still God no matter what my circumstances and because of that I have reason to worship Him. I am choosing the joy that comes only from my God, no matter my circumstance.
"Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, I will say it again rejoice." Phil 4:4
"I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Rom 15:13
"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for JOY and I will give thanks to Him in song." Psalm 28:7
These are poems that Matt wrote for Joy. They are dear to my heart. On the hard days, they have brought so much comfort to my heart.
We trust in your unfailing grace,
and your perfect sovereign plan
We rest in the truth of Your Word
and the strength of Your hand
We can only trust in Your matchless love,
to bind our broken hearts
To give us peace, to help us soar,
to show us where to start
O God who controls the wind and waves,
we ask you to hear our prayer
Restore our hearts and give us faith,
until we meet her there.
and your perfect sovereign plan
We rest in the truth of Your Word
and the strength of Your hand
We can only trust in Your matchless love,
to bind our broken hearts
To give us peace, to help us soar,
to show us where to start
O God who controls the wind and waves,
we ask you to hear our prayer
Restore our hearts and give us faith,
until we meet her there.
A place of peace and rest,
with no tears or pain,
that's where we'll find Joy.
A place with streets of gold,
where sin makes no stain
that's where we'll find Joy.
A place where all is new,
and the lion's tame
that's where we'll find Joy.
Where mourning is now joy, where redeeming grace leads,
Where new creations reign and evil flees, that's where we'll find Joy.
with no tears or pain,
that's where we'll find Joy.
A place with streets of gold,
where sin makes no stain
that's where we'll find Joy.
A place where all is new,
and the lion's tame
that's where we'll find Joy.
Where mourning is now joy, where redeeming grace leads,
Where new creations reign and evil flees, that's where we'll find Joy.
16 comments:
I am so sorry, Erin. I pray that the Lord will continue to give rest to your heart and true joy to your soul. You're in my thoughts and prayers, sister....
Erin- I am so so sorry for your loss. I am praying for you and Matt.
Praying for your family. I can't imagine how you must feel but how encouraging it is to know that God is always there. I was actually listening to the Hillsong album with the Desert Song when I read your post- pretty neat to see how God is already working in your lives in the midst of pain.
Erin, I am so sorry for your loss. I know exactly how you feel because this same thing happened to me in January of 2009. It is totally heartbreaking and no one knows how you feel unless they have been there. Mourn and be sad, it's okay. Trust me though when I say that it will get better. I got pregnant with Hayes 2 months later and now I can't imagine my life any other way. I will pray for healing and for God's will in your life. Again, I know how hard it is and I'm thinking of you!
I love you Erin. Thanks for always being so real with me...I can't imagine a better mentor. God is so good!
What a hard time you are all going through as you seek peace and comfort in the Lord. You are in my prayers.
The poems are so beautiful and such a wonderful expression of Matt's wisdom and his relationship to God. You are loved, and our prayers are with you all.
It's neat to see the way that Jesus is working in your life and drawing you nearer to Him, even through your suffering. You are a wonderful testament to the fact that Jesus can be our JOY even while we endure sorrow. I love you and I am thankful for my sweet friend!
Praying for yall still! Matt, that was such a sweet, tender poem. Thank you for sharing...I know it is hard to share, but we are blessed by it. Love yall!
So very precious... LOVE you!
We are mourning baby Joy with you, everyday. Love you so much!
jenn
this is a precious post. love you.
Erin,
Hey. I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Mallory and my daughter's name is Ansley and we are friends of the Stockbergers. We were at a playdate with y'all at the Birkenfeld's house several months ago. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I too miscarried my baby on June 17. My due date was January 28 and at a regularly scheduled appointment we learned that our baby's heart was no longer beating. I went in that afternoon for a D&C and it was by far the hardest thing I have ever gone through. Your post has given me encouragement and I really appreciate that you shared. I hope you're doing well. You will be in my prayers.
Erin,
I know that we haven't seen each other in years, but I blog stalk you and I read your sweet blog about Joy today. It brought me to tears thinking that you guys had to go through that pain. We too, know the pain and remember the growing time that the Lord brought my husband and I through last year. I miscarried about 7 weeks into a pregnancy that was quite a surprise and then had to mourn the loss of our sweet one growing inside of me. Know that the Lord chose you to go through trials because He trusts you and counts you as one of His own! You and your family are in our prayers.
Claire (Borne) Walker
wackwalkers.wordpress.com
I am so so sorry! I will keep praying for all of yall, let me know if yall need anything!
Praying still. It is hard but encouraging at the same time to watch y'all walk this road. You have glorified the Lord in everything, even when you don't understand. We love y'all!!
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