The Day My Worst Nightmare Came True | Crossway Articles

This is a sad story with a powerful message of hope in the risen Christ. Listen as Cameron Cole relates their journey through immense pain – the loss of a precious son – and shares their even greater hope in the God Who saves us and heals us.

After this deep trial, God enabled Cole to write a book (newly published by Crossway) on the hope they found in the midst of this intense grief.

Here is the introduction Crossway gives to the video, which includes a link to the book and its message:

Four years ago, Cameron Cole came face-to-face with his worst nightmare. The one thing that he hoped and prayed would never happen, did happen.

In the midst of overwhelming pain, Cameron and his wife found themselves clinging to Christ through twelve key theological truths—truths that became their lifeline in the midst of unthinkable grief.

As he writes in his new book, Therefore I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem in Tragedy, “Throughout the journey of my worst nightmare—my descent into a dark, sad valley—the Holy Spirit would remind me of truths that comforted my soul and sustained my life.”

In the video above, Cameron reflects on their story of loss . . . and the slow path toward redemption sustained and empowered by God’s ever-present grace. In doing so, he reminds us to cling fast to the hope that all of God’s children have in and through Christ, our crucified yet risen Savior.

Cole has also written an “Open Letter to the Parent Who Has Lost a Child,” also recently published as part of Crossway’s “open letter” series. Here is an except from that, which those of you who have walked on this path will find full of hope and comfort.

My first word of hope to you: Nancy is right. God is a healer. If you trust the Lord, cry the tears, and process the grief, God will move you forward. You will make progress. You will look back at where you are now and be able to see with gratitude that God has healed your heart in some measure. This promise can give you hope.

The all-consuming sorrow that dominated my days in the first year no longer rules my life. It comes situationally—on anniversaries, during transitions, in unexpected moments. It’s always there below the surface, but God has healed me to the point that I have a functional life, a life in which my focal mission is not just making it through the day and surviving the immense grief.

Source: The Day My Worst Nightmare Came True | Crossway Articles