A matter of perspective

This was the biggest irritation in my life today. My brand new cookie sheet "cleaned" by that kid named Not Me, who lives somewhere in the house. It really ticked me off to see that when I pulled it out of the cabinet today to make biscuits. And then the reality of the world quickly sat in......This afternoon I attended the celebration of life for Annaliese Bias. As I walked into the church and saw that small white casket at the alter, my first thought was, "Caskets shouldn't be that small."
I first met Barb and her only child, Annaliese last spring, the week after I got back from our girls' trip to Huntington. They came to our church after having just moved to town from Huntington and we immediately struck up a conversation about Tudor's Biscuit World and all the things I had just done in Huntington.

Barb had moved here with her husband, because his family lived in this area and although they had a shaky relationship, she was trying to be an obedient wife. Over the course of the next months, she would confide more and more disturbing things that he was doing and it got to the point that she was fearing for the safety of Annaliese. After much prayer and anguish, she separated and filed for divorce.

Amazingly - he was granted custody because he didn't have a job and could watch Annaliese while Barb was the working one in the family. Barb got a new lawyer and after another hearing on Monday this week, was awarded custody of Annaliese. She was to pick her up after school Tuesday to begin their new life together.

Instead, Tuesday morning, Annaliese was killed at the hand of her father. On the morning Barb should have been sending Anna off to school, she was instead waiting for autopsy results so that her daughter could be released for burial.

Annaliese lived 7 years and in that time she had a closer relationship with God than most people I know who have lived 70 years. She was just recently baptised and I know she is spending eternity with God, whom she loved so much.

I don't know what good could possibly come out of this but I know what God says...

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

So I wait for the good to reveal itself and ask for prayers for Barb, who surely longs for heaven like never before.