Isaac of the New Generation

About a year ago, I lost a new born nephew, the first born child of my youngest brother, because of pneumonia. My family had waited so much for his coming that when he passed away, I felt almost devastated since it followed a demise of another family member.

A few days ago, I went to a wake to console a work colleague, who’s fate was no different from my brother’s.

In these two events, I have noticed that my brother and our office staff who had lost both their first born children were able to manage themselves and ironically had been the source of strength of their families.

The statement I received last week was simply a repeat of what I had last year – that it was better to have seen them off that way than see them suffer illnesses when they grow up, but more strikingly, they have been given back to God as simple offerings.

They feel that they have been asked by God to offer Him their most precious possession, the way God bid Abraham to offer Him his son Isaac.

My emotions seemed to have been drawn into episodes of doubts and uncertainty every time such experiences cross over me, but then again, these things have given quite a remarkable contribution towards my perception that only in surrender to God will we be able to find complete consolation.

I have always admired parents who have lost their children, infant or not, that have given God the due courtesy and respect of believing that it was His will and that the parting was just a means for them to have offered Him back what was rightfully His in the first place no matter how painful it is from a father or a mother’s point of view.

The stories above show us the value of love for children but above all, love for God. We should never question His way when He gets back our children into His bosom, knowing that in His company, they will be given much greater care.