The Club

My friends Kathryn and Leland are the most amazing people. They are walking through indescribable pain and yet ooze the grace of God from every pore. They have allowed Keith and I to walk alongside them because we have found an unbreakable bond and also because as we have gotten to know each other in deeper ways, we realize how much we enjoy and need each other. We are members of a most unfortunate group: The Club. The Proper name would be The Parents who have Lost a Child Club. Matt and Marlene are part of it now, too. It's not a club you choose or want to join - the membership is forced. Once you're in it you can't drop your membership and the dues are extremely costly.

I have to believe that people who belong to this club get more "head tilts" than other clubs. If you see me, ask me to demonstrate. I also have to believe that God values the members of this club in a special way and He gets it. He is an eternal member of this club. As I read in Scripture that those who love the Lord will suffer, I guess I feel like Keith and I, Kathryn and Leland, Matt and Marlene understand that more than most. For those who love the Lord, this life is not necessarily easier. But we are privileged in a special way to experience God's pain first hand. We come through the fire more refined. I wouldn't ask to do it again, but I know that what I understand now about God and life, has taught me in ways that no human could teach me. And because I did it, I get to be in The Club with some pretty amazing humans and one AMAZING God.