everlasting joy
"Sorrow is one of the things lent, not given.
Joy is given; sorrow is lent.
Sorrow is lent to us for just a little while
that we may use it for eternal purposes.
Then it will be taken away and everlasting joy
will be our Father's gift to us, and the Lord God
will wipe away all tears..."
-Amy Carmichael
A sweet reminder from a sweet friend.
posted by the mcclenahans @ 10:04 PM
39 Comments:
What a precious reminder!
Indeed. Joy comes in the morning.
I love her story and what an inspiring quote!
Thank you Jess for sharing that. I had a pretty rough day. Feeling a lot of sorrow and missing Nate. I was just telling my friend this morning that I'm "ready for happy again". I want it so badly. This gives me hope.
Hugs,
Trisha
Amen to that. A beautiful thought indeed.
What a great reminder.
Thanks for posting, still praying for you!
Take Care,
Angie
This is lovely...thinking of you today and continuing to pray.
Perfect!
Thinking of you well I think of you EVERYDAY.
Kim
Thanks for being an inspiration to us! We love you and continue to pray for you. We are looking forward to the playground dedication and anticipate the arrival of Baby McClenahan. Joel, thanks for being a part of Addison's life.
beautiful...
friends are so...so...GOOD!
thanks...feel free to post more comments like that.
Amy Carmichael---what a godly and intelligent writer!
What a lovely quote....keeping you and your husband in prayers this weekend for Cora's Playground dedication...may He shower you with love & kindness through those who love you!
Jesse and Joel,
I’ve been following your story since April and I know it came across my path for a reason. We, too, lost our first baby, 4 years ago, although under different circumstances. I always check your blog to see how you’re doing and to see your awesome pictures! Cora is a beautiful baby and I know you cherish all her photos. I always found the hardest part of grief was its unpredictability and endlessness, even as your daily life continues on. I think the changing season definitely makes things worse, because you know life is moving ahead, as difficult as it is. I just wanted to let you know I think about you and Cora a lot! Her pictures are lovely and I know you miss her immensely. Best wishes for the new baby, too. I can’t wait to hear the name; I love Cora’s name and often wondered the origin.
Best wishes,
Anne in Ohio
I stumbled upon your blog today and literally sat here all day and read the whole thing from first post to last.
You are truly an inspiring person, your blog brought many tears to my eyes and I just want to thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you for passing along these reminders.
Praying for you!!!!
Cindy (Joel's mommy, (NB)
My prayers are with you on Sunday as the new Cora Playground is dedicated. She is such a beautiful baby in all the photos on your blog. Now heaven is a sweeter place because she is there. Many of us have walked your same pathway, and I know from my experience of loosing a baby after having him for only 17 hours, that time does help the pain to become softer, but it really never goes away. Bless you as you await this new baby who arrives in January. Our granddaughter lives in KC and is expecting her first, a little girl, in January also. Your blog is special to me, and as I read it I always lift the two of you to God in prayer. Blessings!
Dear Macs,
I have been following your story from day 5. What a journey this has been for you. I have prayed, hoped, cried, and rejoiced with you along the way. While my story is different than yours, I too have felt the tremendous weight of loss. Your faithfulness to Christ has been remarkable. It has been amazing to see Him working through you every step of the way. Tomorrow will be such a joyous, yet sorrowful day and my prayers are with you. God you Reign...Hallelujah.
God Bless you both (& the new little one)
CS, McPherson, KS
Joel and Jess,
I will be thinking of you today, as in everyday, as the Cora's Playground is dedicated. You both are truly inspiring people, Your Cora is certainly proud of her Daddy and Mommy. Always in my thoughts and prayers.
Kim
Warm thoughts and prayers coming your way today...
What a beautiful celebration today for Cora's playground! Joel, Jess, and Baby, we love you and are so glad we could spend today with you. The emotions were mixed and the tears fell but...God reigns!
Jess and Joel,
How was today? We are so sorry to have missed the dedication for Cora's Playground. It has been a crazzzyyy week and Blake wasn't feeling good yesterday so we decided to just have him rest today...... We sooooo missed seeing you and the family. I am sure it was a very hard day for you, with also tears of joy to know that Cora was looking down to you and smiling about the awesome playground! love to you always!
praying for peace in your hearts!
AMIE
I've been praying for you today, and thought I'd stop by and tell you so. I'm sure it was a sad, sad day, but I hope there was some joy in there somewhere too :).
I have seen your story for so long and have never commented on your blog before... I'm sure you hear that a lot :) Anyway, I just want you to know that you are definitely in my prayers during this time. I cannot possibly imagine what you are going through right now, but I do know that God is good! And I am so glad that you do too. Sending many, many prayers your way!
You are beautiful and loved.
Just wanted you to know that.
Hello Macs,
I found your blog about a week ago through a friend's blog and since then, we have kept you in our prayers. This morning while my 3-year-old daughter and I were having our devotion/prayer time, we prayed for you & Joel. My daughter said, "mommy, we don't have to pray for Cora because she's in heaven with Jesus for her daddy". Thank you for sharing your story-you're an inspiration. We will continue to send prayers up for your family. God bless, Jen
We are still here,holding you and Joel in prayer. Remember your sorrow is lent, joy will come and it will be everlasting. I can not imagine the depth of the aching emptiness, nor the bursting pride for Cora and the amazing works her life have accomplished on this earth. Many are called and few are chosen: Cora truly is chosen.
Thinking of you.
Kim
Thinking of you and praying for you today and always. As we live so close I was able to come to the playground dedication Sunday afternoon and was truly blessed to be there. You guys are an amazing example of true faith and what it can do.
Good, sweet thought...thank you. I am still praying for you and especially this weekend with Cora's Playground dedication and in this week to follow. Thanks for continuing to post. The songs and daily thoughts are often encouraging to me. Your family is precious in the hearts of many and most of all, in the heart of the Lord, He who always hears us. Stephanie
Just thinking about you and hoping you're ok...
I just discovered your blog and will need a week to read everything and process it all. God bless you and your precious family. You are a testimony to God's grace and love.
blessings,
jean
I have been following your blog for quite some time now and have felt propelled to write to you many times, but so often I just don't know what to say. I don't even know you, and yet since I've been reading about your sweet baby girl and your family, I feel like I know you very well. I too have a little girl, Hannah, who is about the same age that Cora would be right now. Back when I began reading your blog, your little Cora reminded me so much of my precious Hannah... they wore the same clothes, used the same pacifier, and both had the most contagious little smiles. When Cora was sick it was so hard to get through each post because I wondered why you were having to go through so much pain, and I realized it could so easily have been me. I've prayed for you often, and every day when I am holding my little girl in my arms, you are always on my mind. Through your sorrow, God has taught me so many things about loving my children and always being thankful for every moment I have with them.
Also, I wanted you to know that we prayed for you today in our Women's Bible Study. There is another lady in our group who's little niece has the same thing Cora had, and even another who is a part of Cole's Foundation, and has "adopted" a child undergoing chemo again, after two years of fighting this cancer. You are heavy on our hearts, and I know your family will be in our prayers every time we meet. I pray that God will truly fill you with "everlasting joy" and that your new little one comes perfectly healthy and ready to fill your home with smiles and laughter once again.
Please keep writing. God is using you and Cora in more ways than you'll ever know.
What a beautiful blog. I am so sorry for your loss. My eldest son passed away 11 years ago at the tender age of 7 months. Completely unexpected. A month before his passing, I had him baptized not even knowing what was going to happen. I am married with 2 more children (a 3 yr. old boy, and a 16 mo. girl) I still think of my sweet angel EVERY SINGLE DAY. I still mourn and grieve for him EVERY SINGLE DAY. I was in such a bad place after he passed, and have finally come to a point where I want God in my life. (I was beyond upset that he would not take my life instead of his.) God Bless you, Bless your sweet little Cora up in heaven, and Bless your unborn baby. My heart goes out to you.
Just wanted to let you know that we are praying for you tonight. I pray your mind and heart are full of Jesus and His promises of a wonderfully beautiful eternity with Him and Cora!
Praying for you tonight
I linked to your blog from Joy's Hope, and just shed quite a few tears working my way through your journey. I can't imagine going through what you have, but God's light & strength shines through you so strongly...
Best to you. Your family will be added to my prayers...
***Ally
It is coming up on a year since a tragedy happened at our church when my friend's 15 month old son choked on an object and wound up losing his life.
I have been watching my friend grieve quietly since that day. She is a very private person, so I have just tried to acknowledge her grief and love her through it.
It has been so helpful to hear your thoughts and emotions after losing sweet Cora.
I sent her Amy Carmichael's quote and it knocked her socks off. So, thank you for sharing. The Lord is using your journey to impact others.
Cora's memory will live on.
We've never met but my husband went to school with you guys. I've spent many moments praying for you and your family. On Tuesday we lost our little baby and I have returned to read this quote over and over again this week. Thank you for sharing it and for sharing your continued journey in this new type of pain.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home