for the one we are mourning tonight...

hearts are mourning tonight.
all over our community.
for a beautiful soul gone too soon.

there is a mama with a broken heart.
a daddy who wishes he could hold his princess again.
sisters who have lost a part of themselves.
babies who will grow up without the mama who cherished them.
a husband who has lost his helpmate.
friends who will miss her presence.

everyone who longs for just one more moment.

broken hearts seek to understand.
why this side of heaven such tragedy must occur?

i wish i knew.

once upon a time, i knew a real life barbie doll.
she walked the halls of high school.
casting light in her wake.

but it wasn't until recently that i learned her heart.
through messages and conversations.
she was a lover of the Lord.
and she sought to know His truth.
she buried it deep within her heart.

those brief encounters have tumbled in my heart today.
for there is so much more i could have said.

but time is fleeting.
and we often do not use it wisely.
for we spend more time bogged down in the mundane.
instead of daring to dig deep and bare our souls.

there is a time for everything.
so said the wisest of all.
king solomon.

a time to weep.
to mourn.
to embrace.
to search.
to love.

such is this time.
for those who loved her to mourn her absence.
to embrace one another.
to search Him and know Him.
to love each other.

weeping will last for while.
but joy will come.
in the morning.
through the mourning.
joy will come.

she is walking the streets of gold tonight.
safe in the arms of the One who loves her best.
for now is her time to be healed.
to dance.
to shout.
to laugh.
to be at peace.

we will never understand loss this side of heaven.
but we can come to trust what awaits.
for it is for more perfect than anything this life can offer.

she knew that.
and she would want you to know the same.

while our hearts mourn, may we keep her family and friends in our constant prayers.
may we embrace them and love them.
may we plant seeds of truth in the path of such tragedy.
and may we know that He makes all things beautiful.
in His perfect timing.

the One who set eternity in our hearts.
the One who slings the stars across the sky.
the One who breaths life in our lungs.
the One who pursues us and knows us and loves us.

i rest tonight knowing that i will see Him face to face one day.
only He knows when that will be.
but i also know another beautiful face that will be there with Him.


He is worthy.
and He is waiting.