It is heartbreaking to any family to lose a loved one of any age. It is more heart wrenching when the loved one is an infant, child or young adult.
We don't know why the Lord allows some to live and others to go home to heaven. We may never understand His purpose here on this earth, but we have the assurance that He loves us. Our comfort is that those who knew Christ as their Savior will be united with Christ in heaven and that we will see them again one day.
Neighbors who lived in Crestview for several years lost their beloved 21-year-old daughter last week. No one expects a healthy 21-year-old wife, mother and daughter to die. That is not the way we would ordain it.
Who can understand or fathom God's purpose in all of this? We will probably never know the "why" until we are in heaven, but if we are true believers in Christ Jesus, then we trust Him.
Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Many of us prayed mightily on behalf of this young lady, and the Lord chose to say no. While we are brokenhearted, our faith is what sees us through during these difficult times. Our faith clings to John 11:25, which states, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live."
The lesson is that none of us knows what tomorrow may bring. Tell your loved ones how much you love them, spend time with your relatives and friends. Make time to visit that person you haven't seen in months or years.
We never know when the Lord may choose to call them, or us, home. Don't be full of regrets; pick up the phone or a pen today and follow though, don't put it off.
Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Make the most of today