Week 61: Marriages and the Death of a Parent

Please join us this week in praying for marriages in which one of the spouses is dealing with the recent death of a parent.  Although the death of a parent fits within the “normal” pattern of a person’s life experience, it is still an event that can create stresses in marriages.  The stresses on a marriage can be accentuated if the death is sudden or untimely.  The child of the deceased, though a married adult, can still experience profound loss and even feel cheated that a parent did not live to fulfill long-anticipated roles such as being a grandparent to one’s children.

As with all times of grief experienced by a marred couple, strife can arise if the individuals express grief differently or have different ideas concerning the impact of an elderly parent’s death.  Consequently, these times of loss can cause marital conflict if a spouse does not demonstrate in words and actions the compassion and support the grieving spouse needs and expects.

If the death of a parent requires the married child to spend extended periods of time caring for a surviving parent, conflicts can arise related to just day-to-day responsibilities, particularly if the marriage partner is reluctant to or incapable of bearing the additional load.

In situations where the deceased parent has become exceptionally beloved and cherished by the daughter-in-law or son-in-law, the marriage can suffer a double whammy as both spouses experience one of life’s most profound losses at the same time.

Please pray that couples dealing with the death of a parent will

• Seek the comfort of their Heavenly Father who loves them perfectly
• Not grieve as the heathens do but rather have their grief tempered by the hope they have in Christ Jesus
• Extend to one another the compassionate love Jesus demonstrated to the helpless and hurting, as well as the selfless and enduring love Paul describes in I Corinthians 13
• Be supported by their believing friends and family
• Recall with great joy the time they shared with their deceased parent
• Be gracious with one another as they pass through this event that may cause them to spend less time together and take on roles and responsibilities that are new to them
• Understand that one’s presence sometimes is more important to a spouse than any words one can say