A father recalls his son’s death last year and shares how he and his family cope with the loss, saying there is joy amidst grief.
“The hope founded upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That keeps us going day to day and gives us joy. Even in the midst of our grief,” he said.
Father Recalls Son’s Death
Chad Bird recently uploaded a video about how he copes with the loss of his 21-year-old son, who died last year. He calls it “a year of grief, a year of hope.”
“One year ago today, I had no idea that the next day of my life would forever change. On July 16, 2022, my son, Luke, at the age of 21 years old, died in a hiking accident in Chile. It was while he was studying abroad with the United States Naval Academy,” he said.
He added that the past year for him was “a lot of heartache, a lot of grief, a lot of tears. Lots of questions of why. Lots of missing Luke every single day.”
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Father Recalls Son’s Death, Finds Hope
Even though he misses his son and his family has gone through much grief, they are finding hope in their faith.
“But it’s also been a year of tremendous hope. You see, like Luke, me and my family are Christians. We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we believe that He who was crucified, died, and buried for us is not dead.
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“He did not stay in the tomb. But He stepped forth alive again, physically resurrected. It’s His life that we share. And He gives us a promise that one day, He will raise our bodies so that they will be like His glorious body,” Chad said.
And because of the hope they have in Jesus, he is encouraging others to do the same.
Joy In The Midst Of Grief
He quoted what George Macdonald said. “This life is but the front porch to our Father’s home. It’s brief. It doesn’t matter if you live 21 years or a hundred years. And for the Christians like Luke, we know that when we leave this life, we simply step through the portal into the presence of our Savior. That’s where Luke now is. And that is the hope. The hope founded upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That keeps us going day to day and gives us joy. Even in the midst of our grief.”
They are hang on to what Luke, Chad’s son, said: “The most important people in our lives are the ones we can look at and say, ‘My life is better because of what you have done for me.’ Be that person.”
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Header image: Chad Bird and his family [chadbird]. Instagram, 16 July 2023,
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuuRloFA9jG/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D,