Thankfulness

This morning we (the family in the U.S.) heard from my cousin's husband, who told of being moved by security to another location. They apparently are safe. However, it must be a very harrowing experience, one that they will not soon forget.

As for me, the thought of losing my cousin and her family to a violent death really made me stop and consider some important issues about the meaning of our lives and how God judges us. My cousins are some of the most ready to die people that I know, in the sense that they love God, know that they are safe with Him, and would be content whatever their fate if they believed that God allowed it. Ann is in the process of editing a book of her prayers during a particularly difficult time in her life. All I could think about, as I was praying for her, was that she knows how to pray, why to pray, and that without a doubt she was constantly in prayer over the last 24 hours. While I had great concern for her physical life, I had no concern for her spiritual life. She trusts God. Bob trusts God. After coming back to the States, both will have stories of their answered prayers and spiritual benefit they received while on this trip.

I am thankful beyond words that they are safe. But even more, that I have one more example of people whose faith rests on God. Whether they lived or died, their trust in Him is immense. I am grateful for this knowledge and their example.