I hate Facebook replies like this!

[Mommy22alyns]

My 7 year old son was shot and killed by my landlord in 1995.

 

I am so sorry for your loss. How unimaginably horrible. :grouphug:

 

And :grouphug: to the other ladies who have shared too. IME, the best thing to do is offer hugs and a sincere, "I'm sorry."

[gardenmom5]

it's pretty hard to win and perhaps even what I would consider safe comments will hurt someone so best say sorry and nothing else. .

 

yup, it is best to just say "i'm sorry" and stop there.

[Birdwinglips]

You are right. That comes as a misinterpretation of 1 Cor 10:13. God is talking about temptations...he will never allow us to be tempted to the point where we have no escape. The verse says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

 

Even so, I also believe that "I can do all thing throughs Christ who strengthens me." If I call out to God and allow Him to carry me through the troubles, I can bear many things - much more than I could bear alone.

 

Beautifully put! I just don't like when people say that 'saying' to me as if it were biblical! There are many times I have had way more than I can handle!

[Ginevra]

My 7 year old son was shot and killed by my landlord in 1995. My other son was 6. You would not believe how many times I heard "at least you have another child" offered as words of "comfort." People truly are clueless.

 

Granted, my surviving son was the one and only reason they did not bury me with my child that day, but still.

 

I will never forget standing by the little white casket at the wake and a sister of my then-stepfather came beside me and said something about God..in an attempt to comfort, and I absolutely went off on her - in front of God and everybody. I was reared an atheist, and you can believe that at that moment, I had absolutely no desire to know any God who would take my baby so senselessly.

 

I have now been a Christian since 2006, and in my heart, I do believe God can and does use evil for good. However, it is not something I would ever say to anyone who did not specifically ask for my feelings on the matter. I cannot imagine that even the most devout Christian would find comfort in the idea that their loved-one's death is somehow part of a divine plan.

 

:grouphug: I am so sorry for the tragic loss of this young woman.

 

I am so, so sorry. What a horrible tragedy. :grouphug:

[brett_ashley]

Honest question: For those of you who believe that God's plan doesn't involve young people dying, what biblical evidence do you have to support this view? He clearly killed innocent Egyptian children, Aaron's sons, the poor guy who accidentally touched the ark of the covenant when the ox stumbled, etc.

[MindyD]

I actually am one of those people that believes everything happens for a reason, BUT I don't say something like that to a grieving person! Some people really do find comfort in that kind of statement, but I don't, and I believe it. I just need time to process the emotions.

[brett_ashley]

absolutely. I should have added I wouldn't say that to a grieving person EVER. Though when my 17 yo brother was killed in a car accident my freshman year of college, a well-meaning professor took me aside and said, "I hope you know God would have prevented this if he could."

 

how is that wimpy God any comfort either?

[azmomx3]

I agree, "Sorry for your loss" and "I'll be keeping you in prayer" are the best responses. I've lost my brother, mother-in-law, a close cousin, a favorite aunt, and 2 grandparents in the last few years and those are the only things that seemed ok to hear. I didn't want advice...just love and support.