IN AN INSTANT

Our lives can change in the blink of an eye. It's happened in my family and I have no doubt it has happened at some time in yours.
Health declines.
Jobs are eliminated.
Adoptions fail.
Children become ill.
People die.
If you viewed the video embedded above, you've witnessed how life has again changed in an instant in my own family.

Norman Peretti was my first cousin. In fact, he is THE first grandchild born from my mother's sibling group of four.

And I am his mother's namesake.

Toni.

Norman's mother is my mom's oldest sibling, Toni. And tragically, my Aunt Toni died within days of giving birth to my cousin, Norman. My mom was only 13 at the time, yet sometimes the pain of that life changing instant is still as raw for her today as it was 50 years ago. Her parents lost their oldest child. An event that was supposed to be joyous and wonderful (the birth of their first grandchild) became a time of deepest loss and immense grief.

Cousin Norman's father has been gracious and caring in keeping connected with my mother's family over the years. My grandparents did see their first grandchild on occasion. And for my mother and her family, I am thankful. Norman's father, paternal grandmother and stepmother did a good job in raising him too. And he went on to have his own family, children who are now in early adulthood.

So very tragically, my cousin Norman died yesterday in a head-on collision. He was 49. He is a father, only son, beloved nephew and my Aunt Toni's most precious treasure.
Her "baby."
And as a believer in Jesus Christ, as one who stands firm on the promises of God, I am assured that while my own extended family grieves this deep loss today, 50 years after the loss of Norman's mother, there is beauty from ashes. My Aunt Toni is finally able to hold her precious baby again. How she surely has waited for this day.

Jesus called all believers to share the good news, which can be found in John 3:16-21. If you have never heard the good news (or if you are merely familiar with John 3:16 in a non-personal manner), I both encourage and challenge you to dig into the meaning of these verses.
As for myself, in the midst of a tragedy that has personally impacted my family, and for those who believe in and claim Jesus Christ as Savior, there is good news.
That same good news set the foundation for my grandparents' faith.
The same faith that carried them through incredible pain and hard times.
In fact, it is the same faith I cling to today, knowing (KNOWING!) that I can rest in the hope of the risen Christ. Knowing I can stand firm on God's promises. Promises like;
Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

To borrow the words of Christian recording group POINT OF GRACE,...





When it looks like you've lost it all
And you haven't got a prayer
Jesus will still be there

(collapsed church in Mianzhu, Sichuan province, Tuesday May 27, 2008)










And there is good news for you too. I'm taking this opportunity to say it. That for the record, you can have this assurance as well.

It's not a matter of readiness.

Only a matter of willingness.

Any Christian friend, family member or ministry worker can tell you more (myself included). All said, please hug your loved ones today.
Make the overdue call.
Send the encouraging note.
Treasure the now.
But most of all, be ready.
Because He is ready.
Ready to meet you right where you're at, just as you are.

(Also, please remember my Uncle Norman and his family in prayer today. He has now lived his own life between two events that defined it; the death of his wife early in their marriage and immediately following the birth of my cousin Norman, and now the loss of his only child. He is advanced in years and my heart breaks for him, his wife Valerie, and cousin Norman's children and extended friends and family.)

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20)

Toni