With Hope

My heart is heavy today. D and I have been amazed by just how much sadness has surrounded us, our family, and our friends in the last few months. So many tragedies, hardships and deaths. It seems like everytime we turn around, open our email, or answer our phone, it's someone or something else. Most recently it was a phone call from my mom. This time, it was to inform me of the death of my brother-in-law's brother, Gary, and his wife, Kim. It was a freak thing. They were on their way to Kansas from Colorado to meet Lil Major for the first time, when they hit some horrible weather, about an hour from their destination. In an attempt to be safe, they pulled off the road to wait out the blinding rain . . . only to stop directly in the path of an on-coming tornado. When it hit, it picked them up and literally threw them 150 yrds. into a field, where they were found, dead, Saturday morning. The highway patrol found baby clothes strewn all over the place, which set them on an hour-long search for an infant they thought must've been traveling with them. Little did they know that each and every one of those baby items were handmade with love for our precious nephew. Gary and Kim had just last month celebrated their first wedding anniversary. They were looking forward to celebrating Memorial weekend with family and playing with their nieces, and brand new nephew. Instead, the family spent the weekend grieving and mourning the incredible loss of such a beloved brother and sister. Even as I write this, they are attending their memorial service and burial. It wasn't what anyone would've expected or even could've imagined, but we have to keep reminding ourselves that it came as no surprise to a Sovereign God. And it's been awesome to see the evidence of the hope God can bring in times such as these.

There are so many more stories of hurt and tragedy in our and surrounding families lately that it is almost overwhelming. Yet God continues to be faithful and show Himself in every situation. His peace truly does surpass our lack of understanding and his Glory never ceases to amaze me. A "friend" and sister in Christ that I've recently "met" here in the Blogosphere has been suffering immensely through the recent loss of her son, just 3 weeks prior to his scheduled arrival in this world. It's a horrible tragic story that I've been following and it's impossible to read any one of Heather's posts without tearing up and grieving with her. But in the midst of her grief, she never fails to praise God and look for His plan in it all. She has been an inspiration to me, especially through her most recent post about pain.

I don't know what might be going on in your life, or whether you have even been touched by sadness and tragedy recently or not. But I know that at some point, we all struggle and grieve, and when you do, my hope and prayer for you is that you will be able to step back enough to lift your eyes and see that, no matter how overwhelming your pain is, there is a God who loves you more than anything, and desires to hold you through it all. Let Him in. Let His love shower upon you. And may you find peace in Christ.