Death Wishes

My wife and I imagined how saddened W’s parents must be by their son’s passing away.

I know, however, that some parents wish that their children die before they do. Who are they?

Parents of severely-handicapped children who need special, life-long care, that’s who. Not because they do not love their children, but precisely because they love their children so much. They feel that no one will love their children as much as they do. The thinking goes like this: my child requires life-long special care that only parents can give. Who is going to look after my special child after I die?

Some consider that the lives of such severely-handicapped children are nothing but suffering, hence with little or no meaning. Both the children themselves and their parents are condemned to some kind of life-sentence. The same is said about people suffering from painful and debilitating chronic illnesses and given no hope of recovery. Hence it is considered better for their lives to be ended early, even with help.

Not so in the eye of God, however. He can turn even seemingly hopeless situations into lessons of enduring love and hope. It is easier said than done, of course. But with God, anything is possible. We hope, ultimately, not for temporary earthly salvation, but eternal heavenly deliverance.