Born for Heaven: Playing with Angels

By Phyllis Beltz

Three deaths of family members in four years, including my husband, did not prepare me for the words I was hearing from the police chief. Christopher has been killed by a school bus. Death did not come quietly that cold February morning but crashed into my life like a destroying tornado. The tragic death of my tenyear- old grandson, whom I was raising, set me on a deep, dark journey into grief. This was a frightening journey I had never traveled before, and I didnt want to be on this path of despair. I was not alone, for a gracious, loving, sovereign God journeyed with me through this strange, unknown valley and brought me through to victory. Someday there will be a final victory over death, as we see in Scripture.

Revelation 21:4: And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain the first things have passed away.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inspiring Voices
• Release date: Aug 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462402847

Phyllis Beltz

Phyllis Betz, a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, is a widowed mother of two grown children and grandmother of five. She is a former Precept Workshop trainer and currently leads a Precept Inductive Bible Study class in Indianapolis. This is her first book, but she has written articles for her church blog and inspirational messages for women’s conferences in Indianapolis.

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Copyright © 2012 Phyllis Beltz

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

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ISBN: 978-1-4624-0283-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4624-0284-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012914928

Inspiring Voices rev. date: 08/16/2012

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. A Parent’s Worst Fear

Chapter 2. The Beginning

Chapter 3. Christopher and Jesus

Chapter 4. Best Friends

Chapter 5. Goodbye

Chapter 6. Thanks for the Memories

Chapter 7. Above and Beyond

Chapter 8. Basketball and Jesus

Chapter 9. The Accident

Chapter 10. Adopted Into the Family

Chapter 11. Heartache for Jake

Conclusion Reflections

Grief

Resources

To Jake, Christopher’s best friend

Preface

Thank you for joining me in this journey into the kind of deep sorrow that engulfs your entire being when faced with the death of your child. This is a journey I did not want to take and one that I believed had passed me by since my children were grown. Then those little heart stealers known as grandchildren entered into my life. This is where the story begins as my husband and I became parents again when we took two grandchildren into our home and hearts to rear Then the unthinkable happened, my ten year old grandchild was dead, killed by a school bus.

You will journey with me into and through to the other side of my dark valley of despair. I felt as if I had been thrown into a pit with a force harsh enough to destroy me. I was not alone for Jesus was with me every step of the way and brought me safely through the darkness into His marvelous light.

When we encounter any kind of tragedy in our life whether it is a death, illness, financial, or any other disruption in our normal everyday living we need to ask; What did I learn?

First let me say I am still learning from this incident in my life. I don’t suppose I will ever stop learning and that is a good thing. I have much to learn and reflect on my life and my interaction with others going through tough times. I believe the most important thing I learned is never miss the chance to say I love you. Never miss the chance to give someone a hug, just because!

I have learned that no child fits into another’s mold and must be cared for and taught in the way that best benefits that child. Not every child is a straight A student or a rock star but a precious individual who can learn and understand about Jesus and how much He loves them. You can teach them they are number one with Jesus and He will always be cheering them on even if the world doesn’t

In writing this book my desire is that it gives comfort and hope to anyone who has lost a child. There is hope and help in the Scripture. I want this story to challenge you in at least two ways. One is that you would get serious about making in-depth study of God’s Word a part of your life so you are prepared to handle the unexpected. The benefit will not only be yours but you then will be able to be a comfort and encourager to others when tragedy strikes. Another is to start teaching your children at a young age about Jesus and if they are older it is never too late to