My husband I and attended a memorial service for a
twenty-nine year old woman today. She
grew up on our street, although she didn’t attend the neighborhood school with
our children they knew her and her older brother Alan. Crystal, her mom and her
10 year old daughter came to the recent neighborhood block party. Her mom told
me Crystal was going through a divorce and was back home living with her while
she sorted things out. Her husband was abusive. She had finally gotten the
strength to leave. Her mom was really hopeful for her and also glad that she
was attending church and helping out with the youth.
Last week Crystal was shot to death by her husband as she
returned to their house. I don’t know all the details about why she was coming
there that night, maybe it was to pick up their daughter. He was angry at her
for being late or something and shot her and again twice more after she fell.
Her daughter was there.
Is there any doubt that we live in a fallen world! Just like
that many lives are shattered and will never be the same. This world as it is
is not our real home for those who follow Christ. It is but a shadow of the new
earth to come. There is grace in this world but it is not the norm. It is like
a delicate flower that appears briefly then is gone. As Christ followers we are
tasked to bring grace into this world, but it is a tall order. This world
operates on power and influence, it can be ruthless. Evil lurks.
I appreciate the servant pastor who conducted her service.
He brought the simple gospel message of comfort and hope to those gathered in
the small humble church. Every seat was filled and the overflow people stood
along the sides and in the back. He voiced the torrent of emotions that
everyone was experiencing and the questions and the second guessing and
encouraged everyone to give them over to the Savior and to let Him replace those
with peace over time. Crystal knew Christ despite a turbulent past and a
teenage pregnancy. We can rejoice in that.
Don’t get too comfortable here, this is not our final home.
Thank Jesus for that, the new earth will be beyond our imaginings. No more
tears.
I couldn't express it better. It was a sad day to end a sad week. While Crystal has been set free, her mom, daughter and brother are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. One day the tears will be gone. But that day is not this day.
ReplyDeleteI feel as I've gotten older and started my own family that I've started to understand the true impact one's life has on others around them. I find myself thinking about death more and the impact that would have on my family. There are so many dimensions to life and death. I just hate it when children are the ones involved. Their brains are just not ready to deal with this kind of processing. So terribly sad for the children involved in these cases.
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