On the Death of a Friend

Japanese Maple Leaves (“Acer Japonicum Vitifolium”), Photo by Jean-Pol Grandmont (CC Attribution 3.0 Unported, GFDL 1.2 or later)

Ours is the God who shaped a thousand, thousand hills yet knows when every leaf will fall. Ours is the God for whom a single life is of infinite value – so much so that He gave the life of His only begotten Son.

The titanic forces of the earth are under His control, as are the seasons…even the seasons of our lives. His is the life force in a fawn, and to Him it returns. He cherishes the heartbeat of an infant in the womb, and knows beforehand all the days of that child’s life even into old age.

Ours is the God who filled this world with astounding beauty. Not by accident or from some sterile aesthetic sense, but as the reflection of His deepest heart, His desire to surround His children daily with His love.

Why He should love us so is incomprehensible.

A life well lived is never without meaning, however brief. When it comes down to it, we are each of us given only a limited allotment of time here, no matter what the span. The task is to use each day, each moment, to the best of our ability, as God intended. By His grace, we will, when all is said and done, be returning to Him who loves us most.

“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…” (Ps. 31: 14-15).

Father, our lives are in Your hands. Through darkness and trial, in happiness and grief, in triumph and failure, we trust in You.

We thank You for Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for Your Spirit with us. We thank you for Your constant kindness to us.

May we love unceasingly. May we do You honor till our last breath.

Amen

READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse  http://www.avoicereclaimed