Hello Faithful Readers,

As I promised back in December (!), here is the full text of the article I wrote for the Revive Our Hearts blog about the journey of a little girl near and dear to my family’s heart. She is, in fact, family both by blood (her dad and my hubby are cousins) and by the blood of the Savior into whose hands we place the remainder of her days, however long or brief. As you read, please keep little Alice and her family in prayer, as an MRI on February 14th is expected to reveal whether there is regrowth of the tumor.

Lord, have mercy.

Grace and peace,

-LJE

 

Alice is a four-year-old girl who, unless the Lord intervenes, will die before next Christmas. I want to write it softly and tenderly, like the old hymn, choosing gentle words. Perhaps . . .

Alice is a four-year-old girl who, unless the Lord intervenes, will spend next Christmas in glory.
Alice is a four-year-old girl who, unless the Lord intervenes, will not sit on Santa’s lap next year but will rest in the arms of Jesus.
Alice will be free from pain!
Alice’s suffering will be over!
Alice will be escorted by angels into the very presence of Christ!

Truths like these whisper sweetly, a gift I long to wrap in pretty tissue paper and place in the hands of her grieving family. Perhaps next Christmas they will be ready to receive these delicate word-gifts—to set them carefully under the tree in anticipation of future joy.

But this Christmas, they’ve been given cold, hard words:

Alice is a four-year-old girl who, unless the Lord intervenes, will die before next Christmas. Continue reading →