Lisa Ireland-Brunson

Just like that we are officially the parents of two middle schoolers. Time really does fly. Way to go Rehlyn - you are done with elementary school and we are all so proud of you!!!

elementaryschool

Two years ago today we found out the little boy we were carrying had gone to heaven. When we found out we were pregnant with him, we were shocked and stunned. But that shock quickly turned to love and excitement for what the future would hold.

We were in the ultrasound room and the sweet technician, after several minutes, said “your baby boy is perfect, he just doesn’t have a heartbeat”. And in that moment all the dreams we had came crushing down and grief immediately settled in.

We have spent the last two years privately mourning, walking through the seasons of grief and learning how to abide in the joy of the Lord - all at once. Empty arms carry an indescribable ache that we could have never imagined.

We have learned some things the past two years we continue to cling to today…
1. God is near to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18
2. Jesus is a man of sorrows who understood grief. Isaiah 53:3
3. There has NEVER been a room God isn’t in. He was in that ultrasound room when our world caved in. He was in the operating room when they took our baby. He was in the room when we told our girls their baby brother was gone. He was in the car when we told our family. He was there when we cried ourselves to sleep. He is always present. Jeremiah 23:23-24
4. He really can turn sorrow to joy. Isaiah 61:3
5. Our boy may not be in our present but he is, without a doubt, in our future. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Two weeks ago God gave us a word that our “time of suffering and grief as we have been mourning has come to an end”. And we are standing on that word.

We chose to share today so that people who might be suffering realize you are not alone; that everyone goes through really hard things - some of them you see, some you don’t; that God is with you - always; and to remind you that the HOPE of heaven is a very real thing. 🤍🤍🤍