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Less than 2 weeks ago a mom died of breast cancer. One
of her four sons was in my 7th grade daughter’s class. Her youngest
twin sons had gone to preschool with my youngest son; she left a beautiful and
lasting impression. Although I had lost touch with her since then, the
resounding giggles from her identical twins continues to ring in my ears. Undoubtedly
those sons are heavy with a sadness they have never known before.
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A baby died on Sunday, the day before the due date. It
was told that he may have Downs-syndrome and the parents could have ended this
pregnancy very early on. They chose to celebrate and embrace this life. For an unknown reason, it was snuffed out
before they could even behold their son, present him a name and receive him in
to this world. We are at a loss for words to console this co-worker of my
husband.
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Another mom died last night. She had been battling
cancer for many years. Her sons remained by her side these last few days praying
and calling out to God for a miracle. Although tired and warn out, she fought hard
through the weekend but could not ward off pneumonia and her liver shutting
down. She is at rest now. The football team will rally behind her sons and
husband as they grieve this insurmountable loss but an emptiness remains.
Questions have been asked for centuries; they are not new to
the human condition. The injustice of it all seems to beckon us to ask “Why?”. Why must such precious life be taken away too
early? Why must innocent and good people suffer endlessly only to lose their
battle? Where is the justice in all of this pain, loss?
Those called followers of God are not exempt from the difficulties
of life. We know clearly that hardships and death fall on all, the just and the
unjust, equally. We are all subject to the consequences of living in a “fallen”
world. With one bite the perfect Eden was closed off and the world as it was
suppose to be changed. It would now relentlessly offer toil and burden; labor
and hard work forever was the penalty of the original sin.
As Christians though, we know God is good. He is good when we have
victories. He is good when we lose. He is not the originator of the pain and
strife; the Devil gets credit for that. God is, however, the Originator of healing for our hearts, the great Comforter in the midst of
sorrow. Although it would seem easy enough to blame God, it is He who sustains
us when we are subject to life’s troubles. He offers a hope NOT to get us out
of difficulties but to walk us through the difficulties. He cares for us and never leaves us
alone. It is the heart of a faithful and sovereign God who endlessly loves us
in all circumstances of our lives.
Oh Lord, what a treasure You are to cling to when nothing else makes sense.
Prayer: Thank you
Lord for not leaving us alone in this world. Thank you for loving us, especially when
we are hurting and without answers. Thank you for sustaining us with Your peace
when life throws such unexplainable hardships. We are so grateful for Your
comfort when nothing else brings hope. Lord, we never want to know where we
would be without YOU in our lives!
“My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of
my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26 ESV
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