Brittany Laurie Interview: Icons of Faith Series

you know I just wrote a book called hope for hurting hearts and this is one of the hardest books I've ever written because actually we're in the same shirt I just realized that I like this shirt but this is one of the hardest books I ever wrote because it's about the greatest tragedy I've ever experienced and that is the unexpected departure of my son Christopher to heaven and but in this book I dedicated it to a very important person - Brittany Laurie a courageous woman of God and Brittany is here with me right now and you know Brittany I think the one question I probably been asked more than any other since Topher went to heaven we called him Topher that was his nickname Christopher is how it's Brittany done you know and and people will ask me how you doing and you know I don't know what they want me to say and it really depends on the moment because there's times where I'm at peace all is well for that time and when someone says it all of a sudden I'm not doing something like oh well and there are other times actually I'm not doing well at all I'm very sad I'm hurting there are other times where I may be actually having fun a little bit moment of laughter it's a really hard question answer isn't it how are you doing yeah I think I my standard response is fine yeah you know everything's fine because you know they wouldn't understand it anyway if you went into all the details of how you're doing it because it can change from moment to moment yeah exactly well let me just you know ask you since I've been asked it so many times how are you doing I'd say I'm doing okay you know like you said it's just different from day to day from hour to hour that can change any moment um obviously I'm sad still Viper's I just take comfort in the Lord and I have hope so I mean that's an amazing thing you know for you to say Brittany because you know I've been a Christian for almost 40 years a pastor for 35 and I have to say I don't know that that has necessarily helped me being a pastor to go through this because I'm still when the day is done just a Christian that lives by the promises of God and I've had to do that through this but but you've only been a Christian now for a few years you know you're a relatively new believer you came to faith shortly before you and Christopher were married and that's why I dedicated this book to you because I think to be that young in the faith and they have to go through such a tragedy as this that that to me is the most faith challenging thing a person could possibly go through and you just said that that you're finding hope and in the Lord tell me what that means to you well I think if I if I didn't have the Lord I wouldn't have anything you know that gives me something to hope and I can hope for heaven I can hope to be with Christopher again one day you know but for those of us that don't believe what did they have it that it's just so sad they don't have anything my immediate response was just to get as much knowledge as much learning about Jesus and God and what he tells us in his word and you know that's what gets me through every everyday what are some of the passages of Scripture that have helped you you mentioned that you've written some of them down I do any come to mind right now that maybe you return to again and again or what what what do you think of right now about that yeah there's quite a few scriptures um I keep a journal so I read like a daily devotional and something pops out I write it down just in my daily readings in the Bible if I'm at church where right now there's so many that I've read a couple today I'm sure they could help someone right now one says the righteous perish and no one Ponder's it in his heart devout men are taken away and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil those who walk uprightly enter into peace they find rest as they lie in death that was Isaiah seven Oh Christopher you know he's in heaven right now but that really that scripture is addressing that that question that everyone asks and then why the why question and you know I I asked it at first then for a while it didn't bother me then it comes back to me again and I revisit it and that verse says to keep them from evil that's one explanation that's not the only there are things we'll never understand this side of heaven but have you thought about the why and and what comes to your mind when you think about why I don't have the answers either I'm just waiting you know I know one day I'll have the answer probably not ever here because it just doesn't make sense to me now and I think that's you know that's not a bad thing to say that you know I think sometimes Christians are afraid to say that it doesn't make sense like I'll take it a step further not only does it not make sense to me I don't like it if I had my way I've changed the whole story I wouldn't do this you know but I don't have my way God does but at the same time I'm trusting the Lord I'm not saying I'm smarter than God cuz I'm not obviously but I'm just saying I don't like what's happened I even hate it but you know the Bible never tells us to love death death is the enemy of the Christian it's a death death is the enemy of humanity but yet we we hate death but we love the Lord you know and so our faith in God overrides that we say Lord I don't understand this but I'm gonna just commit it to you you know and as we grieve we're not grieving hopelessly we're grieving hopefully but we are grieving aren't we you still are DS decrying I do all the time I don't know when it's gonna happen but you know things trigger it don't think little things trigger it sometimes I think I'm gonna get really upset by something and it doesn't yes so and then sometimes you're not prepared for your reaction to something that does upset you something someone says something or something you see it to me it's totally unrelated yeah to me it's the most random things that will get to me and I'm really surprised by it but they're little memories of my son you know I have a memory memories of him going back 33 years since yeah I remember the day he was born I remember the moment well it's like Christopher the little boy Christopher the the adolescent Christopher the young man you know it and so and I miss all of it because he was just he was such a wonderful boy I loved him from the very moment he was born to the day he went to heaven and I wish I could be in heaven and he could be here but you know even saying that is kind of selfish because you know what he's better off than we are right now we forget that yeah he's better he's in heaven and you know he still is he's present-tense right there's a past tense we have memories but there's a future yes I hope for you know that's what I've got my open does that give you comfort to think about being in heaven with Christopher very much so how is your daughter Stella I handle all of this when you know when this topic of daddies brought up what is she saying Stella knows that daddy's up in heaven with Jesus and that's what she says and she blows kisses up towards the sky she does but I don't think she really understands what that means no but she points up and she's adamant yeah I mean I'm telling her a story and the word heaven come she has a better understanding than me I'm not sure well you know I wonder I mean cuz there are times when I'll be telling this story and you know a Bible story and I'll say heaven she go she'll stop me daddy's in heaven and she'll point up you've seen her do it she saw adamant about it and in some way she doesn't understand and in some ways maybe she understands better than us because she just accepts it as and maybe she doesn't grasp heaven who does grasp Evan I mean for that matter but she certainly believes it and didn't Jesus say that we must become as little children into the kingdom of feminine childlike faith you know it's just we live in such a tragic world and things like this happen sadly all the time and no one ever expects what will happen to them I mean I never thought that I would lose a son I always thought that I would die before my son I'm sure and we were talking a few moments ago and you worried more about your daughter you didn't think so much about your husband because you know he's an adult he can take care of himself right you don't expect this you don't play the scenario through in your mind but but there's someone watching this right now that this has just happened to them it just happened and right now they're thinking I can't live through this I cannot survive this what would you say to a person like that because we're eight months down the road now basically I just say drop drop close to the Lord and ask for his peace and his comfort every day you know I do multiple times throughout the day we're here for a reason you know there's a purpose that we're here for God has a plan for us sometimes he doesn't let us in on the whole plan right away but step by step you know just focus on what you have to do right now and hold you there he has he has a plan for us does it help you to talk to other people I know that you recently went to visit it with a girl whose husband died and and when you talked with her did it help you at all do you think there's anything that helps the person who has experienced it in helping someone else who maybe just experienced it there's some sort of connection definitely you know we're going through the same thing sometimes I find when I talk about it to other people sometimes if I'm you know maybe ministering to somebody else I still and it's I'm helping myself also you know the words I'm telling them I'm reminding myself to do the same thing so you know I'm reinforcing that to myself not only that more you know she she had some good points to that maybe I wasn't thinking of right at the time he kind of preached to yourself don't you cuz I find that you know people had said to me after I I preached at our crusade three weeks after Christopher died and and they couldn't understand how I could do that and I said you know actually that was one of the easier things I did it was the after times that were harder but when I was preaching and I was telling people to believe in Jesus and calling people to Christ I thought I was so aligned with heaven and even with Christopher because the Bible says that there is rejoicing in the presence of the Angels over one sinner that comes to repentance and so as we saw people coming forward in a crusade I wondered you know it's Christopher watching this from heaven right now you know and it's certainly heaven is aware of what happens on earth because of that passage I just mentioned and I wonder sometimes if if were made aware of how our testimony impacted someone on earth when we're in heaven you know wow that fruit that is seed you sewed you know bore fruit later because you know you Christopher you had a Bible study in your home you're reaching out many of your family came to Christ before this happened and after others have been impacted so you know we're just looking to the Lord but what I've appreciated about you Britney is the fact that you're you know you're in Bible studies so at the week you're you're seeking to serve the Lord you're just being a wonderful mom to your daughters you know you're doing everything you can do and I'm thinking what would Christopher want and then I think sometimes well if I were in heaven what would I want you know what I want everyone to be sad and miserable and well I would want them to shed a few tears for me but I think my message from heaven would be I've never been happier I've never been more joyful I can hardly wait till you get here with me come and join me and until that time you know enjoy your life you know love one another and live your life for the Lord I mean don't you think yeah I know when I get upset I I pray you know when I start crying or I feel emotional I just start playing and I pray for God's peace and I just pray for him to use me you know tell me what to do next what what can I be doing right now that what would Christopher want me to be doing what do you want me to do you know Lord what what's next and I just pray for his comfort and his peace and usually I'd calm down right away it's nice he'd be so proud of you right now you know he I just know he would and you're a courageous woman of God you're a young lady but full of faith and a wonderful example and thanks for just sharing a little bit from your heart because I know there are people out there that have wondered and I tell you there's a lot of people that have been praying for you praying for a family but praying for you in particular patient and and for your daughter's Stella now little Lucy who is never you know never met her daddy but she'll see him one day but we're telling you know I I tell story Stella's stories about her dad all the time you know and because I want her to know about her daddy he was a wonderful man but it is a wonderful man and we'll see him again thanks Brittany

Channel: Pastor Greg Laurie

Views: 27,083

Rating: 4.8629284 out of 5

Keywords: Brittany Laurie, Christopher Laurie, Greg Laurie, Interview, harvest christian fellowship

Id: KwaXs58oTdo

Length: 13min 43sec (823 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 17 2009