I been fortunate, my family hasfaced very few tragedies. In fact there really have been none. But this weekend changed all that. After finishing a family Christmas at my parent’s home we all learned that the one person who was not with us, my 23 year old nephew had died in his sleep. Obviously the mood changed immediately, from one of celebration and laughter to one of deep shock, sorrow and grief. It is only been 36 hours since the discovery and there is still shock, sorrow and grief.

For years I have walked others through these types of circumstances; standing with people around hospital beds, in their homes or at emergency rooms. The words that I used during these times were: “God has a plan beyond our understanding,” “God will give you strength to endure and peace to overcome.” Now it is time to put my beliefs into action. Time to trust what I have said and what I have sung.

In these hours that we have faced I can definitely say that God’s presence is real. I have witnessed it with others and now I too feel the peace and strength of Christ. We will continue to rely on God’s strength as we face the long hours of the next few days. And I will be praying that God presence is very real to my sister and her family ever day.

One final thought:

There is reassurance and peace in times like these when you know for sure that the person who has passed has gone to a better place, because they have asked Christ to forgive them of sins and they have turned their life completely over to him.