Grace Revealed: Finding God's Strength In Any CrisisSample

Grieving from Loss: Pray for and Trust in God’s Grace

You Are Not Alone

Almost one in twenty-five children will experience the death of a parent before age 28. Teenagers in mourning often suffer from low self-esteem, which makes it difficult for them to maintain healthy relationships, finish college, or enter rewarding careers. Low self-esteem also can lead to depression, self-harm, or bullying. And tragically, the death of a parent in childhood is associated with a long-term risk of suicide.

Bob’s Story

Bob Delonti lost both of his parents at a young age. Then, as an adult, he lost his stepson.

Bob’s mother died just six days after his fifteenth birthday, and his father died four months later. He writes, “Losing the two most important human beings in my life at a time when I most needed them paralyzed me emotionally for many years. After my mother died, I would listen to my father cry each night, and I would pray that they could be together. When he died suddenly a few months later, I struggled under the guilt of those prayers and experienced a crushing void. I cried myself to sleep at night and found it difficult to breathe as I lay in bed, feeling I was suffocating as I choked on the painful lump in my throat.”

Then, when he and his wife lost their son, he said it was the worst experience imaginable. One year after their son’s death, Bob accepted Jesus Christ and was baptized. He writes, “Through persistent prayer and appeals to the Lord for His healing power, I found a peace and calm I never thought possible. I directly experienced God’s grace as I recovered slowly from my grief and discovered a new purpose.”

Returning God’s Grace

Bob serves as a board member and volunteer for Comfort Zone Camp, an organization that provides support for grieving children who have lost a parent or sibling. He has served as a “Big Buddy” mentor in dozens of camps nationwide.

Bob writes, “My experiences, as devastating as they were, found an outlet in helping others that gives me great joy. I thank the Lord daily that my own grief prepared me for a lay ministry to other young people dealing with the loss of a loved one.”

A Bible Verse

Romans 5:3-5 are a few of many verses that have bolstered Bob’s strength during his most difficult times.