Tribute

This afternoon we attended the funeral of the young man I talked about in my previous post. His family and friends paid a beautiful tribute to their friend, son, brother, grandson, etc. Several of his classmates from high school spoke, giving memories of their time together. If he could have only known how much he was loved by these and the agony this one act would cause all of them - surely it could have made a difference! The family put together a service that was truly a celebration of his life, including a beautiful slide show with pictures throughout his short life. There were pictures when he was a baby, pictures with his dad, with his mom (who passed away when he was 13), with his 2 sisters, with his grandparents, friends, his stepmom and his newest little brother! It is so heart wrenching to see a family have to deal with so much tragedy!

The tribute I would like to give them is this - they are standing on their faith and belief in the goodness and grace and mercy of our Lord! In the midst of this, one of their desires was that anyone in the service know that God loves them and once they have accepted Christ as their Savior - nothing - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can snatch them out of the Father's hands! The speaker brought out the verse that says Satan is like a roaring lion, seeking those he can devour. Satan thought through this act that he could devour this young man and also his family. However, Satan was wrong! The young man was still in God's hands and this family is still in God's arms! They are relying on His strength and comfort right now! Prayers are flying heavenward for them on a continual basis. In the midst of this dark storm, this family is still praising God for the time they had with their son, brother, grandson, friend!

Father - You and you alone know the anguish this precious family is dealing with right now. Wrap your arms around them. Let them feel your strength flow through them to face today. Give them that same strength tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that! So many questions and days of longing are ahead of them. Help us as their support here on earth to know the ways we can support and sustain them through this storm! You alone are God and You alone can bring good out of tragedy. In Christ's precious and Holy Name - Amen!