Sunday was a beautiful day here in Minnesota. The trees were showing off all fancy. The lakes and bike paths were calling “Come and play!”. God had graciously given us One. More. Day. before “you know what”.
It was a beautiful day and a terrible day. 7 year old little girl in our community died on Lake Minnetonka from carbon monoxide poisoning. One of those No-It can’t be-This-just-can’t-happen-kind-of-things.
Yesterday morning I was sitting at my usual table at Starbucks. I had just read this passage for a study on living together in community:
Job 2:11-13 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him,because they saw how great his suffering was.
As I finished, a man walked up to me. “You don’t know me, but I go to your church. You know that little girl that died?”
“Yes”, I said.
“Well she lived across the street from us. Last night we went and put out 7 luminaries in their front yard. We just hugged them and left. I wanted to tell you.”
Just a little encouragement. Go do small things with big love.
Laura,
Beautiful. Sitting Shivah with those who have lost loved ones…and maybe not even saying a word… speaks loudly of love. Thank you.
So hard, right? We are such “do-ers” :). Presence is a gift!