Why did my son drown?

[Leroi]

Hello,

My middle son, Will, drowned on Memorial Day. He was twenty-six and had just been married in December of last year (03). His wife has a little girl; four years old.

He knows Jesus and accepted him as his savior when he was around 12 or 13. He was mildly handicapped (scoliosis; Perrington rods on both sides of his spine, operation when he was 14), but very strong and a good swimmer. He was attempting to swim to a capsized boat to dive from it. I was not there when this occurred, if I had been I would have tried my best to save him even if I died in the process.

He was kicked off of disability because they said he was no longer disabled; the doctor who performed his operation said he would never be able to do heavy lifting, but on his job he did have to do heavy lifting.

Was GOD calling him to do this or was it a tragic mistake/accident?

We miss him so much.

He is not my biological son, but I was the only Dad he ever knew. I married my wife when she was pregnant with him.

I look forward to my own death now so I can see him again, but I want to raise the rest of my family and get my wife well; she is very sick with Lyme disease and I'm afraid this is going to set her back.

My wife is who showed me how to have faith and seems very strong in faith. I accepted Jesus and was Baptized a few years after we were married.

The preacher who performed services for him said GOD knew what he was doing when he called my son out there.

I am distraught.

Thank you.

 

[MrsGnomeCrusher]

I wish I had something to say that could take all your pain away. I am so sorry for your loss. My condolences to you and your family. My prayers are with you.

 

[Rafael]

First accept my sincerest sympathies for your loss of a beloved child. It hurts too much for words to describe.
We all have to go home at some time or another, and the timing may not look the best to us, but we trust and know that your son is in a better place with the Lord. The Bible tells us that "all things work together for good to those that love God and are the called according to His purpose", and we have to trust His Word for that and our eternal life. I know this does not make the sense of loss go away, but it does let us know that God has good plans for all of us and could use this whole ordeal to strengthen the faith of your whole family. Look for the silver linings ahead in life, for death has no sting for us who have eternal life. You will say like King David, "I will go to him, but he shall not return to me", as we all are on a journey for home. We all go to see our Lord and those beloved family that have passed from this circle to the next life.
God bless you, and take comfort in the Lord's promises. Your Son is alive today with Jesus.

2Co 5:8 We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[but'n'ben]

Nothing I or anyone here can say anything to fill the void left by this death. It's very tragic and must be terrible. All I can say is that we are here for you and although it is very difficultt to accept at times like this, God is with you.

 

[Violet]

Leroi, please accept my condolences. I'm so terribly sorry for your loss. Please try to find peace in knowing that he is with the Lord...he's as happy as he could ever be! You and your family will be in my prayers

Love,
Pauline

 

[Leroi]

Thank you all.

 

[rogsr]

I'm sorry for you my friend. I think every man has a time to go and when it's that time it's that time. He is with God now, and probably looking down here wishing you could see how much better it is in heaven. But it's always hard when you lose someone close to you, no matter how strong your faith is. I'm just very happy that he was saved and is now in paradise waiting for you and the rest of his family.

peace to you-

 

[bliz]

I am so terribly sorry for your loss and your pain. I cannot imagine your grief.

A few thoughts:

You are probably already feeling some pressue from people to "get over it" and get on with your life. As a culture, we are very uncomfortable with grief and the pain that comes with it. As Christains we want you to trust in God and not make the rest of us feel too uncomfortable. Grief takes time to heal; a long time. It is not over in a few months; it takes most people a couple of years before they find that a loved ones death is not the background music for everything they do.

By now you know which friends can stand with you in grief and which can't. Thank God for both, and lean heavily on those who can.

As much as you can, thank and praise God for the life your son had. Try and focus on the gift that his life was. It is easy to focus on the time he did not have, and that is a terrible loss. But that takes nothing away from how wonderful it was to have him, even for a short while. I learned this from a friend who had to say good-bye to a twin daughter who only lived for 4 days. She was so thankful to God for those days! That blew me away! As you and your wife can, look at the photos, share the funny stories; celebrate his life as your mourn for it.

You now have a longing and desire for heaven you never had before. Another friend of mine lost a full-tern, stillborn daughter. Suddenly has had a passion and desire to know all about heaven because that is where she was, and that is where he would get to meet her. This is a gift - a gift no one ever wants, but a gift just the same.

What happened was by God's design, or what he allowed. It is hard for accept, but this is a far better thing to know than to think something happened to your Son beyond God's power and control. God was with your son; he was never alone. Why did it happen? Our human minds cannot understand; we see only the loss.
But know that God loves your son far more than you do. God is better able to provide for his wife and her child than he was or you are.

That gaping hole in your chest will heal. You will not go to bed in pain and wake up every morning in pain forever. You will never stop loving your boy, but the sharp edges will gentle with time.

 

[MikeK]

Leroi, I am so sorry to hear of your loss, I can only immagine th epain you must feel.
Lord, please be with Leroi and his family through this difficult time. Let them know that you will guide them through their grief and that their son is a happier man now then they could immagine.

 

[Christi]

I'm so sorry, Leroi. Hugs.

 

[allieisme]

I dont think it was a mistake or accident that your son drowned. In my opinion, God brought him back home when it was his time. I don't understand why people die the way they do, but I honestly think that there are no accidents in this world, and in my heart of hearts I believe it was your sons time to go, as hard as that is to say or to read. I will be praying for you and your family as well as your son's wife and daughter.
God Bless YOU

 

[Leroi]

I appreciate you all for trying to help me come to terms with this.

It is the hardest thing we have ever done, but my family and I are trying our best.

Thank you for your kind words and prayers.

 

[TheMainException]

No one but God can tell you for sure just why your son died. But you will learn over time why he died. But have joy, he is enjoying eternity and waiting for you to come home with honors, so don't end it now.

 

[jwebhead]

I am so sorry for you loss I only have had 1 experience with loss and that was of my best friends father. He was the most Godly man I have ever known. He and his wife of 35+ years with 5 children, 1 grandchild, he was about to retire and start a new career in his church. He did not see his 2 daughters get married...he did not get to meet his 4 soon to be 5 other grandchildren. No one knows why he died when he did but I do know this...there were 1400 people at his funeral (no he was not a celebrity, just loved and well known and admired) and there are people that have not seen him or thought about him for years as they had moved on in their lives, but when the news of his death got around there are so many people who think and refer to his walk and his love and dedication to the Lord more now that he is gone than when he was with us. This again is a situation that has brought so much glory to our Lord in a time that we as human think of a tragedy.
I wish you peace and comfort knowing you will see your son again, but you must keep on and focused on the Lord and do what He desires for your life. Your son would want it that way.
There are no words that can heal your pain and loss. I will be praying for your wife, her health and her well being in dealing with this very difficult time.

God Bless