A Statement of Faith from Our Family
This statement of faith is not intended to explain everything we cannot explain.
Nor is it intended to turn one family's grief into a complete systematic theology.
It simply states this:
When we tell Little Wheat's story, where exactly do we stand?
In the preceding pages there are a father's imaginings.
There is the testimony of pastors.
There are a mother's tears.
There is literary language.
There is hope concerning heaven and reunion.
All of these must be understood under the statement of faith that follows.
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We Believe Life Comes from God
We believe
that every life possesses dignity and value given by God.
A person's worth does not depend on:
how long that life lasts,
whether the body is strong,
whether one's abilities are complete,
whether one can speak,
or whether one can accomplish the achievements in life that others expect.
Little Wheat's life lasted only nineteen months.
Its brevity did not make his life less valuable.
He is our son.
A real person.
A life worthy of being loved, respected, and remembered.
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We Believe God Is Lord, and We Also Acknowledge That We Do Not Know Everything
We believe
that God is the Creator and the Lord of life.
History is ultimately under His sovereignty.
But for that reason we do not claim to know:
why every illness occurs,
why a particular prayer was not answered according to our desire,
or why a child's life was so brief.
We do not simply explain every tragedy by saying:
“God specially arranged for it to happen precisely in order to produce some later good result.”
We acknowledge human limitation.
We can trust
even while we still do not understand.
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We Believe Jesus Christ Is the Only Savior
We believe
that the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ are the sole foundation of our salvation and comfort.
Little Wheat's death did not save anyone.
His story did not save anyone.
Our grief did not save anyone.
Nor did this book save anyone.
Christ died for sinners.
Christ rose from the dead.
Salvation belongs to Him.
Therefore, when we call Little Wheat “a grain of wheat,”
it is only a secondary, testimonial metaphor for his life.
John 12:24 ultimately and first points to Christ Himself.
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We Believe Death Is a Real Enemy
We will not call death a friend.
Nor, because Little Wheat's story later produced some beautiful influence, will we say:
“Therefore death itself is good.”
Scripture says:
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” —1 Corinthians 15:26, KJV
We can discover grace in grief,
but that does not mean tragedy itself becomes grace.
We can grow after loss,
but that does not mean the loss ceases to be real loss.
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We Believe Christ Has Risen from the Dead
This is the most important hope in the whole book.
If Christ has not risen,
our remembering is only remembering.
Our reunion is only a wish.
Our comfort ultimately has no foundation.
But we believe:
Christ has risen.
Therefore, death does not have the final word.
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We Believe the Lord Will Surely Come Again, and the Dead Will Surely Be Raised
Our ultimate hope is not merely:
“After the soul leaves the body, it goes to heaven.”
We hope for:
Christ's return.
The resurrection of the dead.
The redemption of the body.
The destruction of death.
God's renewal of all things.
Therefore, we hold the hope of resurrection.
And for this reason, we hope that in Christ's final renewal we will again see the child we deeply love.
Regarding the specific manner of that day, we remain humble.
But because of that, we do not lose hope.
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We Entrust Little Wheat to God
Regarding the salvation of infants and young children, the state after death, and things we cannot observe,
we do not wish to speak beyond the range of what Scripture reveals.
We will not elevate a father's imagination into theological fact.
We will not claim to know what Little Wheat is doing now.
But we are willing to entrust him to:
the God who is holy,
righteous,
loving,
and who has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we have hope concerning him.
This hope does not come from his own ability.
It comes from God's grace and character.
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We Believe in the New Heaven and the New Earth
Our final hope is not merely to leave the earth and go to some distant place.
We hope for God to renew His creation.
As Revelation says:
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” —Revelation 21:4, KJV
This is the future toward which we can still look when facing hospitals, graves, and loss.
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We Believe Grief and Faith Can Exist at the Same Time
Crying is not unbelief.
Missing someone is not unbelief.
Having questions is not unbelief.
Not knowing the answers is not unbelief.
We believe
that Christians can worship in grief.
Pray amid questions.
Trust in weakness.
Continue to love after loss.
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We Believe the Purpose of Testimony Is to Point to Christ
Little Wheat's story is worth telling.
But the final purpose of this book is not to leave people focused on a child.
We hope
that when people finish reading these stories,
they will treasure life more,
understand grieving people more deeply,
face death more honestly,
and think more seriously about:
Who is Jesus Christ?
If this book ultimately turns people's eyes toward Christ,
then this testimony has truly fulfilled the direction it ought to have.
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Therefore,
we are willing to continue telling how God sustained us amid our tears, love, and weakness.
To continue remembering our son.
To continue loving the people around us.
To continue shepherding.
To continue serving.
To continue sharing the gospel.
To continue, in this world where death still exists,
waiting for the Lord who has risen from the dead and who will surely come again.
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We believe death will not triumph.
We believe Jesus Christ has risen.
We believe He will surely come again.
We believe the dead will surely be raised.
We believe God will surely renew all things.
So we still mourn,
and we still hope.
We still miss him,
and we still move forward.
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Paul Zhang & Sue Zhang
Written in Indianapolis In memory of our son John Earnest Zhang (Zhang Xian)—“Little Wheat”