Surviving the Loss of a Child - Interview with Lynn Coleman

Author Lynn Coleman

Lynn A. Coleman, welcome to Overcoming With God.  We appreciate your willingness to share your testimony of overcoming with our readers. 

Thank you for inviting me. It’s a pleasure to be here.

Would you tell us about the one of the most difficult things in your life you have had to overcome, with God’s help? 

Answer: 

The most difficult part of my husband’s and my life together has been the death of our son, Tim. He was 32 and died of congestive heart failure that had been misdiagnosed. I suppose that telling the readers that the loss of a child is the most difficult thing a parent will have to face might be a bit of an understatement. However, God has been very gracious to us. For example, on the day that Tim passed away family had started to arrive and I was having one of those overwhelming moments that happen when you suffer a tragic event such as this. I went into my bedroom and cried out to the Lord, “You don’t know what it’s like to lose a s…” I paused, for the reality hit me like a ton of bricks. God did in fact know what it was like to lose a son. So I said, “Okay, I’ll give you that. But there’s always been one thing that I’ve never had a response to when women are grieving and they say something like, ‘but God didn’t carry that child in his womb for 9 months.’” There was a moment of pause between God and me. At that point He ever so gently gave me a vision. He said, “See the palm of my hand? Inside that palm is every person who ever lived or will live.” Then He reached into the center of his palm and pulled one person out part way. It was Tim. He then said to me, “I’ve carried him in the palm of my hand for over 6000 years.”

Tim Coleman, Lynn's precious son

The reality is that God does love us more than we can love our own children. He knows the hairs upon their heads. Personally, I’ve never tried to count the hairs on the top of my kids’ heads. For one thing, they were born with tons of hair. LOL! For another, it would be impossible. But yet God loves Tim far more than I ever could. The Lord also showed me at this point in time that we in the American Church often don’t stand on the Victory of Death. There is victory in death because of what Jesus did on the cross, and if we believe and accept Him into our hearts we also inherit that victory. Tim is standing in heaven in that victory. Paul and I still have moments when we are sad and miss our son tremendously but we always come back to standing in the power of the resurrection. There’s an old hymn that has a mighty truth, “There’s power in the blood of Lamb.”

Artwork by the talented Tim Coleman

What passages in the Bible have been most helpful to you in those times?

Many. In the Psalms 139:13 he talks about knitting us together in the womb. Another is, “I go to prepare a place for you.” (Jn. 14:2); and then perhaps one of my life verses, James 1:2: “Count it all joy my brethren, when you meet various trials, …”

What helped you get through or helped you cope with this difficulty?

The Lord, my faith, and my husband‑-in that order.

In this latest work, do you have any topics useful for bibliotherapy, or therapeutic influence through reading about a disorder or situation?  

In my latest novella, “Love on the Rails”, in the “Rails toLove” collection (Barbour, October 2016), the heroine, Tilda Green, is dealing with the loss of her parents and the new chapter in her life. It makes sense for a mail order bride to go to a stranger when you’ve lost everything. However, she too has to develop her own faith as she works through the trials in her life.

Bio: Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning and best-selling author of Key West and other books. She began her writing and speaking career with how to utilize the Internet. Since October 1998, when her first fiction novel sold she's sold 40 books and novellas.

       Lynn is also the founder of American Christian Fiction Writers Inc., and served as the group's first president for two years and two years on the Advisory Board. One of her primary reasons for starting ACFW was to help writers to develop their writing skills and to encourage others to go deeper in their relationship with God. "God has given me a gift, but it is my responsibility to develop that gift." 

       Some of her other interests are photography, camping, cooking and boating. Having grown up on Martha’s Vineyard, she finds water to be very exciting and soothing. She can sit and watch the waves for hours. If time permitted she would like to travel.

       She makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, where her husband of 42 years serves as pastor of Friendship Bible Church. Together they are blessed with three children, 2 living and 1 in glory and eight grandchildren. 

www.lynncoleman.com

Blog: 19^th Century Historical Tidbits www.historicaltidbits.blogspot.com

Twitter @LynnColeman

Instagram: lynnwr

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lynn-Coleman/295159933831982?ref=bookmarks

CFP: Thank you for sharing with us, Lynn. What a handsome and talented young man Tim was. I am so sorry for your loss. One day God will reunite us with our loved ones and what a happy day that will be to be with God and with them.

GIVEAWAY: This week we're giving away a paperback copy of Love on the Rails. Leave a comment for a chance to win. Answer Lynn's Question she’d like to ask readers:

"I love hearing from my readers. I’m interested in hearing what they enjoyed from the story and what they would like to see in a future book."