Thanks to Brad from Revelation 12 Daily, several hundred people recently read my post The Story of the Tree Man on my website here under the Why HeavenlyPerspetives.org menu at the top of this page. I'm grateful to everyone who read it and especially to those who left inspiring comments under Brad's post. I originally documented the story back in 2000 shortly after it happened and I relayed the story in person to multiple Adult Sunday School classes at my church. However, it's been a rare occasion that I have spoken or written about the event after about 2001. It's nice to have another chance to share it with a new set of brothers and sisters in Christ!
I pray that none of you reading this post ever have the opportunity to know what it is like to lose a child. The phrase "gut-wrenching" sort of explains it, but in a massively understated way. It's way worse than simply gut-wrenching and infinitely worse than anything else I have ever experienced. There's no way to avoid the after-effects of the event. It is life-changing. The important question is, how does a traumatic event like this change your life?