This has been an interesting week, full of emotions. This week I experienced a friend lose his sister; his parents, lose their daughter. On Tuesday evening we (Justin and I) drove our friend out to Calgary to join his family. His sister had been in a car accident and the doctors were having trouble stabilizing her. We arrived about 1 in the morning and waited. The doctors told us around 3 that they had to wait until the morning until they could do anything more. We grabbed a hotel for the night and In the morning we returned to the hospital. That morning the doctors informed the family that it was over, their 17-year-old daughter had passed away.
It was one of the most heart-breaking things I’ve ever witnessed, watching my friends parents say goodbye to their daughter. It was a terribly sad moment, but it was one that was filled with unexplainable peace. After the doctor left, my friend’s father said one of the most amazing prayers I had ever heard. It was the prayer straight from his heart, a prayer full of hope and thanksgiving. The family was so grateful for the time they had with their daughter, for the joy that she brought to their lives. She was a Christian and they knew that she was in a better place. They were sad, but only for themselves. They knew that they were going to miss her immensely. But they also knew she was now truly home, and that one day they will be united.
The Catalyst by Brandon Peters
I’ve never seen such peace in the midst of chaos. It was so powerful and amazing because it was straight from God. Nothing else could explain it. There was no anger, no bitterness, only praise and hope. Hope that their daughters passing may spark a revolution. That the hearts of the teens in Cranbrook would be changed through her life. That they would be awakened to the fact that our life on this earth is so fragile and so short, only a breath in light of eternity.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.†1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
