Thank you, atticus, I am not better than anyone but I sure am glad for my faith.

 

I just got back from the visitation. It was excruciating. Curtis was just a shell of a human being, he was utterly inconsolable. I have never walked through such a painful event in my life. I have never seen anyone so crushed. Truly, there is none but God Almighty who can pull a man from such depths, because there is no person alive with the human strength to see him through this.

 

The children are all in a single coffin.

 

Hundreds, possibly even thousands, of people will have been there before the night was over. It took an hour and a half just to get into the church.

 

I thought I would be better today, but now I am worse. His next door neighbor, a friend of mine and fellow Sunday School member, said she was asked to go in to the Wise household to retrieve an item or two. She said the kids breakfast plates and sippy cups are still on the kitchen table where they were left before school in a rush Wednesday morning, along with the butter and syrup . . .

With permission I shared this recently with another BGP friend and I will do the same here.

 

One of my closest friends and senior minister even though tomorrow is his last day at my church lost his wife to cancer a year ago February after a many year battle against this dreaded disease. She was in her early 30's and a great, great Christian women. She was a role model to many of the other females in our church on being a Christian mother, wife and Christian woman. My wife will say that this young Christian taught her so much in her way too short life.

 

When she past away, the one thing that my friend said helped him was his friends simply being there. He doesn't necessarily remember much of what was said or the discussions had but just knowing that we were there was immeasurable to him.

 

At that time, we struggled for answers.

 

Today, he is planning a new marriage with a beautiful young lady with a great story to tell in her becoming a Christian. They are moving to the Jefferson County area and are excited about the possibilities of ministries they would like to start that will be aimed at helping women who have been raped and want to keep the baby or teenager mothers who would like to keep their baby.

 

This is hard for me to type and I will shed a tear as I type it, but this ministry would not be possible for my friend without him moving on after the death of his lovely wife. You see she grew up in our church and they would have remained here till the end of his ministry.

 

I am excited for him as he moves into a new world and ministry and the lives that he can touch as my heart breaks as he leaves my daily life and I think back to his loss of his first wife. But rather than concentrate on the loss in my life, I prefer to smile and think about the new lives he will touch as he has done to mine.

 

I don't know what to say and don't think there is anything I can say that can answer your question. I don't know what the future holds for your friend and where God will take him in his life.

 

For me, as I have moved through the past 16 months, faith that God is in control and knows more and better than me is what a firmly rest on for me, my friend and for you and your friend.

Hearsay: I am so sorry for your loss and I certainly don't have the words that will give you any kind of relief.

 

My wife went though a serious car crash when she was younger. Her best friend was killed, another passenger was in coma for months and was never the say, and my wife broke her back. During this time my wife said she clinged to the following verses from Issiah 55:8-9

 

"For my thoughts are not your thougts and neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts".

 

For my wife (and me), I think it is of some comfort to know that I love and serve a God that I can't fully grasp. Whether it is Virgina Tech, or losing my Dad way before I felt was appropriate, or something like you are going through, I know that God is loving, God is just, God gives us freedom, and even when these things get blended together in the world we live that I might not understand the result, but ultimately I know that I am in his hands.

 

Wish I had more to give you though.

Hearsay: I am so sorry for your loss and I certainly don't have the words that will give you any kind of relief.

 

My wife went though a serious car crash when she was younger. Her best friend was killed, another passenger was in coma for months and was never the say, and my wife broke her back. During this time my wife said she clinged to the following verses from Issiah 55:8-9

 

"For my thoughts are not your thougts and neither are your ways my ways, As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts".

 

For my wife (and me), I think it is of some comfort to know that I love and serve a God that I can't fully grasp. Whether it is Virgina Tech, or losing my Dad way before I felt was appropriate, or something like you are going through, I know that God is loving, God is just, God gives us freedom, and even when these things get blended together in the world we live that I might not understand the result, but ultimately I know that I am in his hands.

 

Wish I had more to give you though.

When one of my best friends son was near death from cancer she told me it was the hardest thing she had ever done when she unclasped her hands from her son and looked up to heaven and said, "God, I give my child back to you". In a matter of a few minutes her son died. To this day she grives for her child but she tells me that if she didn't know for certain that her child was with God, she doesn't think she could get through another minute. When all else fails in our lives we have to remember one thing......God is good - all the time.

When one of my best friends son was near death from cancer she told me it was the hardest thing she had ever done when she unclasped her hands from her son and looked up to heaven and said, "God, I give my child back to you". In a matter of a few minutes her son died. To this day she grives for her child but she tells me that if she didn't know for certain that her child was with God, she doesn't think she could get through another minute. When all else fails in our lives we have to remember one thing......God is good - all the time.

 

A great post. :thumb:

When one of my best friends son was near death from cancer she told me it was the hardest thing she had ever done when she unclasped her hands from her son and looked up to heaven and said, "God, I give my child back to you". In a matter of a few minutes her son died. To this day she grives for her child but she tells me that if she didn't know for certain that her child was with God, she doesn't think she could get through another minute. When all else fails in our lives we have to remember one thing......God is good - all the time.

I love the line in the new Martina McBride song "Anyways."

 

God is Great but life ain't always good.

Hearsay: First my heart goes out to and everyone else that has been effected by this tragic loss. We often don't understand why things happen.

 

II Corninthians 4:16-5:4 (small peice of what is writen)

 

Paul says" For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know the earthly TENTwe live in is destroyed, we have a building from GOD an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands.

 

 

What is the sacrifice of the earthly "tent" as it is compared to eternal life?

Basically what I am trying to say is pain, grief , and tears are temporary and is the only thing we can see from this right now. But what is unseen to us at the moment is now being seen by your friend and her childern. God, Heavens and holy spirit.

 

Please remember Christians are not exempt from tragic experiences. But I believe GOD puts Christains in position to show NON- Christians how to react in times of hardship.

 

The good news from this tragic loss is we have a Savior that died on the the cross so that we can lhave eternal life.

Hearsey- after having a little more time to think about what you 1st posted all I can say is that we are not suspose to understand everything that happens. but what we should do is trust in the Lord. It will take years for your friend to over come his loss. he will never forget his family and the hurt will folow him. The bottom line is we will never know why this tragic event happened. But I do know GOD is there for us and as long as we believe and trust in the GOD he will be with us and give us eternal life

Hearsay- I have been through some tragic events in my life, you can PM me and I will tell you but cant really on here. But I can tell you this as dark as it may get, and some of my events I wake up broken hearted every day of my life, but I always find the peace that only God can give.

Ive been in two hard situations I can tell you about, both telling a teenager their dad was dead. One was to cancer and other was overdose. It was so hard to tell, but the only words you can really say in that situation is Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world, and as dark as it may seem God is their.

My GF sings a song called My Redeemer Lives. It says the same gentle hand that holds me when Im broken concored death to bring me victory. So even though you may be down, the same hand that is with you is the very same one that concored death.

The scripture says I never seen the Rightous forsaken or Gods seed begging for bread. So remember as long as you put your trust in God, things may be hard, but he will be by your side.

Thank all of you for your thoughts. The family is now dead and buried. Curtis is a wreck. I have made a somber peace with it and moved on, I hope Curtis can someday also.

I love the line in the new Martina McBride song "Anyways."

 

God is Great but life ain't always good.

This is true:thumb:

As these next few weeks passes Curtis will need the same strong support that has been shown. I'll keep him in our prayers. I wish there was something I could do.