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“Casting all your care on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith…”
1 Peter 5:7-9 (NIV)

“I really just want my daddy…I miss him!” One of my sweet boys proclaimed through tears.

Our day of celebration with a houseful of family was waning, and my daughter came to tell me one of my boys’ was sobbing in his bed with the covers over his head. As I walked upstairs, I prayed that God would give me words filled with love, comfort, and truth for whatever made him so upset. I entered and reached under the covers to caress his forehead. After a few minutes, he pulled the covers down, and with tears streaming, his words thrust us into our toughest moment; when one of my kids really just WANTS their daddy and there’s nothing I can do.

You see my husband was a twin, and even though they look different and act different, he and his brother sounded SO much alike. When we were dating in high school, I’d call his house and start blabbering away. Sometimes it would be several minutes before I would be told Scott wasn’t even home! But I did it over and over. It is a wonderful memory, which made hearing his brother’s voice so very hard after Scott’s death. But now I realize what a special blessing and privilege it is that not many get.

I forget though, as my kids are processing their grief, it can be different. With my brother-in-law here, my son had a tangible reminder, all day long, that he can never see or hear his daddy in person again. After a while, it was too much for him, so he escaped to his room, pulled the covers over his head, and cried.

How many times do my kids cry out for their father? Far too many to count!

How many times do I cry out for my Father to help us, to give me guidance? Even more!

But unlike my kids’ cries for their earthly daddy, there is a Father in Heaven that hears AND answers me.

Yet, sometimes I cry out to God and hear an imitator instead, and I am fooled by that imitator like I was so many times by my husband and his brother back in high school.

The Bible is clear; Satan is the greatest imitator of them all. He prowls around looking to speak lies to us and steal us from our true Father.

As Ben and I talked about my husband and the things we love and miss the most, it was a valuable reminder for me of how important it is to continuously be filling myself up with God’s voice, through His Word and His promises to me. My grief makes me weak and, like my Benny, an easy target for my emotions and pain to get the better of me. In my weakness, Satan can get in and devour me.

As I reflected and went on my knees before the Lord later that night, He revealed how important it is for me to turn to Him, the true Healer, each and every day. I need to turn my children over to His care as well, trusting He will be everything they need in this journey, praying they will never be fooled by the imitator either.

Father, I pray this protection over my sisters. Protect us from Satan’s snares as we travel this grief road. It’s so hard at times to stay focused on You and so easy to wallow in our pain and sadness. But Your promises are the real deal. Meet our needs, Lord, heal all our hearts and protect our minds. Help us to continually renew our desire to seek You and to turn our grief over to You, to never be fooled by the imitations, but to resist and stand firm in YOU. Amen