As a family in our church struggles with the anguish of losing their oldest daughter yesterday, we search for words of comfort, truth, understanding. We will never fully comprehend the mind of Christ this side of heaven, but we must trust Him all the same. A friend posted this in response to this tragedy and it was too good not to share...

With the King
Today at 9:27am
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11)


Yesterday, friends from church were involved in a random boating accident that left their 11 year old daughter missing, somewhere in the river. As day turned into nightmare, she has been found to be with Jesus even as workers still look for her earthly body. Her mom posted just hours ago "I am not ready to let go of her yet!" and still "let go" is exactly what God has called this family to do.

Today will not be an easy day for our church, tomorrow will not be either. It feels like sorrow and sadness are more and more the norm for our congregation. Even the most scholarly and secure among us have no answers as to why God has ripped this little girl from her family at such a young age in such tragic fashion. Yet collectively we pray for this broken hearted family and collectively we beat on the chest of our Lord, confidently knowing that He is able to sustain our anger, rage, hurt, frustration and sorrow. Like a wise parent, He knows that we are incapable of comprehending what is happening and wraps us in His embrace as we are racked with grief.

God does not promise us that we will see tomorrow, that our children will see tomorrow, that tomorrow will even exist on this earth. He does promise, repeatedly, that when we know Christ, when we hold onto Him as our Savior from sin, that we will spend an eternity of tomorrows with Him. This little girl trusted in Christ and today she is not shedding tears nor is she filled with anguish. Today, tomorrow and for eternity she is joyfully worshipping her Lord and Savior. I pray that my children will share her faith and long for the day that we will worship together in a Kingdom that has no tears.