Letter to a Grieving Mother During Lent

I am grateful for friends who have spoken truth and grace to me. I have heard you.

It dawned on me tonight that the message I’m sending myself is not at all the message I would want to convey to another mom in my situation. So I decided to write a letter to a different mom, not me, who has recently lost a child. Most of this letter is taken directly from a friend’s text to me this evening. I know the Lord is speaking through this friend and others. I need to listen, be still, and allow myself to be carried by grace.

Dear Friend,

I am so sorry you are trying to figure out every day how to live without your child. I am sorry for the gaping hole in your heart. The pain is profound, deep, lingering, unfathomable.

You are struggling with not wanting to give up something for Lent. In my opinion, you have made an enormous sacrifice…you have given your son to our Heavenly Father. I know this wasn’t by choice, and giving something up of value, of your choosing, is what giving up something for Lent is all about. But in your case, you give up your son to God each day you grieve. You have demonstrated and continue to demonstrate your deep faith and trust in our Heavenly Father by bowing to His greater wisdom, even though it means being separated from your son. The excruciating pain you endure and the sacrifice made is in trusting our Heavenly Father in that pain. I don’t think anything you could give up for Lent could compare. So I say, you have already taken care of your Lent sacrifice. Be at peace my dear friend and give yourself some grace in this Lent season.

Much Love