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Love and Loss

Writer's picture: DeborahDeborah

Series: Love


I Thessalonians 1:2-3 ESV



I have to confess that when I added this scripture to this day I thought I’d probably be writing about faith and love.


I Thessalonians 1:2-3 says, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”


However, writing about faith and love is not where God is leading.


You see, I write ahead and last night a small commercial plane out of Kansas (my neighboring state) took off heading for Washington, D.C.


The plane never made it to their destination.


It crashed over the Potomac with. U.S. Army helicopter killing everyone onboard both the plane and the helicopter.


When the news came on television just after the crash occurred I was heartbroken and stunned.


The news media announced that the plane and the helicopter were over the icy waters of the Potomac when the crash occurred. We did not know at the time of the initial announcement the altitude of the plane and helicopter, but we saw the pictures of the crash and we knew the circumstance below the crash.


Still, I wondered if anyone could have survived. I tend to be an extreme optimist…obviously.


It took time, but eventually we knew the truth.


There were no survivors.


And so while I sat in my home and little by little received more details, I knew God wanted me to pray for the family members and friends of all those who were on the plane and the helicopter.


I knew the military drill for notifying family members of men and women who die in the line of duty.


I also knew every family member on the plane had to be personally notified as well.


Those were the people I started to pray for after the hours passed.


I knew every person impacted by the loss would need steadfast love and hope in the coming days, weeks, months, and years ahead.


As I prayed I knew for every person who loved someone onboard the grief would be overwhelming.


Life for their families and friends would never be the same again.


I’ve been told in Seminary Counseling and in Grief recovery courses that while losing a spouse is overwhelming, losing a child takes everything you’ve got to put one foot in front of the other to keep going.


When we experience those kinds of losses, all hope is gone. In many cases people do not know how to keep going.


That’s exactly the reason why the love and steadfast hope of God is vitally important.


WE cannot recover those kinds of losses on our own. Sometimes in life we say to God, “I cannot do it.”


That’s the moment God steps in.


Years ago I saw a picture of Jesus carrying a broken man. That is exactly what happens when we feel like we cannot go on.


Minute by minute, day by day, month by month, year by year God carries us. We do not know how long it will take us to walk on our own, but God knows that.


Those are the minutes, days, months, and years God carries the brokenhearted with the love and steadfast hope of God (Jesus).


And so, today that is my prayer for the families and friends of those who were on the plane and the helicopter that crashed and fell into the Potomac River.


Right now not much will comfort them. But I am praying that they will be able the breathe, drink a sip of water, eat three bites of food, and close their eyes for ten minutes to rest. It will take time for them to be able to breathe normally, drink a soda, eat a sandwich, and sleep 6-8 hours at night.


My prayer is that in the interim, they will let God carry them.


Spiritual Practice: Pray


Join me in praying for the families and friends of all the victims.


In God, Deborah

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About Me

I am a child of God. I can’t remember when God wasn’t part of my life. I served in a church setting for 30+ years and now I seek to help others see and find their sacred space. Daily when we turn to God we begin to recognize where God is at work in our lives.

 

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