Glory in Death
Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually. Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels, and the judgments uttered by His mouth . . . Psalm 105:3-5 (New American Standard Bible)We were shocked when we heard the horrible news on TV. We were saddened when we learned the victim was a friend of ours.
Cherie was a friend of mine practically all my life. We went through grade school, junior high, and high school together. As we grew into adulthood, our paths parted but also intersected at some points. We lived in the same community, and, ironically our sons became close friends, too. I’ll especially remember her kindness and hospitality to our son, who was husky and more awkward than his peers. She encouraged him to lose weight and applauded him when he finally reached his goal. She often catered kids to sports games, arcades, and even McDonalds. Always positive, always smiling, always friendly, she was an inspiration to kids and adults, as well.
One glorious September day, the Lord took her home. As she walked a country lane, she was ravaged and killed by four fugitive high risk dogs. She suffered then died in the hospital an hour later. Her family and friends were devastated. All wondered how the events of this horrible tragedy could bring glory to God.
Being popular and well known, hundreds of mourners attended Cherie’s funeral. Besides the usual funeral chatter, the topic of most discussion was the Lord. The finality and inevitability of death was strongly on their minds. They wanted to know about heaven, Cherie’s new abode.
The tragedy of this death awakened many, many people to the knowledge of Christ. Even under the gruesome circumstances, the Lord was glorified and will be glorified in those who seek His face.
Precious Father, as we seek your face in everything, we are in awe of how you work. May this unfortunate tragedy bring glory to you forever. Amen.
By Sharon (Michigan, USA)
