Week 328: Marriages and the Death of a Parent

Please join us this week in praying for marriages in which the spouses are dealing with the recent death of one of their parents.

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 a marriage. These stresses can be accentuated if the death is sudden or untimely. The child of the deceased, though a married adult, may still experience profound loss and even feel cheated that the parent did not live to fulfill long-anticipated roles (for example, being a grandparent to his/her children).

As with any grief experienced by a married couple, strife can arise if the individuals express or react to grief differently or have different expectations concerning the impact of a 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 may need or expect.

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

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 1 Corinthians 13
• Be supported by their believing friends and families
• Recall with great joy the time they shared with their deceased parent
• Be gracious with one another as they pass through an event that may cause them to spend less time together and take on roles and responsibilities that are uncommon to them 
• Understand that one’s presence sometimes is more important to a spouse than the words one could speak