God Knows
With the Christmas tree
decorated and the cabin trimmed in holiday cheer, everything was as it should
be until the phone rang. Life instantly shifted.
The world, as my grandson knew
it, was irrevocably changed by a car accident that took the life of his best
friend and his friend’s dad—who was also his coach. A drunk driver cut short
the lives of four people in that car—two fathers and two sons.
Some of you have gotten calls
like that—losing those you loved in an instant. Perhaps others of you had more
time, but it was just as final.
As the Christmas tree lights
twinkle softly and the line-up of toy snowmen on my fireplace mantel smile
innocently, what can I say to a broken family?
Those who mourn rightly ask—why
does God take such young people? We do not know.
But here’s another question:
In whom can we lean when we grieve with such awful wrenching sorrow? God.
Not able to contain my grief
within the four log walls of the cabin, I walked out into the darkness of
night. The brilliant display of millions of stars reflected the majesty of God,
but these untimely and devastating deaths reflected the brokenness of this
world.
God knows that devastation.
He lost His son too. But first, He gave him to us on Christmas, so that we’d
never walk alone as we travel through life, with all its shards of brokenness
and pain.
We can walk with Someone who
understands our pain and collects every tear we ever shed.
Grieving is incredibly
hard—and different for each of us. We can’t replace the lost lives.
The holiday
season of celebration can bring deep sadness as we miss those we love.
God knows.
But He heals us in ways the world never will. So, breathe in deeply and let Him
into your heart to begin the healing. God knows how.
“I am God your healer." Exodus
15:26
For my friends who’ve also
lost loved ones, I pray for your comfort during this season of hope.