Carried by God, in Love

by Nathan Good

The following is an adaptation of reflections shared by Dana and Nathan Good at the funeral of their son, Amos Rhett Good. To hear their full reflections, please click here. 

We didn’t have long with Amos, but he left a lifelong impression. Our journey with Amos began unexpectedly. Having taken surgical means to not have children, Dana and I were surprised by her pregnancy in late 2023.  

Then the next twist in the journey came. We discovered over halfway through the pregnancy that he had Trisomy 18, a severe genetic disorder. 

Amos was born on May 28, 2024 and lived for five hours. Many from our family were able to come to be with him and us. Those hours were filled with unconditional love.  

God was never far away. Even though most of his life on earth was spent in the womb, God was holding him close even then. The evidence of God and his people are all over the story of our son, Amos, and as his parents, we couldn’t want for a better legacy for him. 

The name Amos means “carried by God.” The prophet Amos was a simple shepherd called by God to deliver a powerful message: “Worship without justice is idolatry.” I feel a kindred spirit with the prophet. 

I didn’t set out to be a pastor. I told God I would go anywhere and do anything for Him. I imagined a place of poverty, caring for people burdened by post-colonial globalism. Instead, God sent me to my own community with a simple message: “Worship without justice is idolatry.” 

Dana chose the name Amos for our son. Together we decided this was a way of naming him after me.  

As followers of Jesus, we claim to worship the one true God, the God of love and justice. 

The Apostle John reminds us: 

“This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 

“Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” 

I wonder what the world looked like from Amos’s perspective. For the entire time he was alive, Amos had his eyes open. I have never seen a newborn taking in their world the way Amos did. And I believe what he saw was love. 

Imagine if we discovered an animal species that developed an additional sense, knowing if one of their young would die prematurely. Rather than distancing themselves, they poured extra care upon the mother and the child. 

Imagine they created tools to provide oxygen to the baby, allowing the family to gather to hug, hold, and kiss the child before they passed away. If we found this in nature, we would hold it up as one of the greatest expressions of love. 

That was Amos’s life. 

I can’t help but think of those around us, walking through tragedy without a support system like this. I hope that the love we have experienced inspires all of us to feel the same love towards others. 

Love towards the 70 to 90 children in Quakertown School District without a house to call their own.  

Love towards the mother wrestling with a surprise pregnancy without family or anything that feels like a reasonable option other than terminating the baby 

Love towards the hundreds of thousands of babies who are aborted every year. 

Love towards refugees and immigrants who have traveled thousands of miles out of sheer desperation to provide for their children.  

Children without parents, parents without spouses, immigrants miles from home: orphans, widows, and foreigners. This is who God has called us to love throughout history and it seems just as difficult today as it was three thousand years ago. 

¹⁴Seek good, not evil, 
    that you may live. 
Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, 
    just as you say he is. 
¹⁵Hate evil, love good; 
    maintain justice in the courts. 
Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy 
    on the remnant of [his people]. 

Amos 5:14-15