One of our students tragically lost a parent last week.

In my 12+ years of doing life with college students this is the first time I’ve attended the funeral of a student’s parent.

As we’ve reached out to him over the past few days, and begin to think about walking alongside him over the coming weeks, months and years; I’ve found myself wondering how an event of this magnitude shapes a young person during some of the most formative years of their life.

The “college years” are already filled with times of significant life transition, asking big questions, learning how to ask better questions, learning how to seek out answers, determining who we want to become, opening ourselves to who and what God might want us to become, learning how to relate to others at new levels, for new reasons, etc., etc., etc. The number of life-shaping events seems to be at a premium.

The kind of life alteration/formation/transformation that comes with the death of a loved one is one rarely experienced by the “invincible” college student… unless an untimely tragedy like this one occurs.

Every student is different… and will handle a tragedy like this differently… and so my prayer for this young man is that God will use the loss of his earthly father to bring him closer to his Heavenly Father. That many of the superficialities that college students so often get sidetracked by, will fall away, and this time of formation will prove to be exponential for this weary journeymen.

May God’s grace and mercy be ever-present!

• How do you walk alongside people who have experienced the death of a loved one?
• How have you seen God work in exponential ways in the life of someone who has experienced such pain and devastation?
• What advice do you have for those of us who are new to this kind of ministry?

Please take a moment to share your wisdom, experience and insight in the comment section below.