Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track. -Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG)
A devastating event took place here yesterday. Shaun's dad, Bruce Sellers, passed away very unexpectedly from a massive heart attack while he worked. The doctors did all they could to save him, but in the end, they couldn't.
And we were left behind. When you're disconnected from the situation, it's so easy to say that we'll see him again in heaven one day. But that "one day" is so very far off to those who counted him as their father, their spouse, their best friend, their brother, their uncle...
I remember the first time I met Bruce. I was with Shaun in Mechanicsburg or Harrisburg (or maybe some other burg, I don't quite remember THAT part) and my car broke down. In the middle of a busy intersection. And we were stranded there. I had no idea who to call but Shaun knew exactly the right person. It was someone he had counted on over and over again, someone who'd always come through for him. Bruce. And sure enough, Bruce and Barb came to our rescue. We got the car off to the side of the road and Bruce hooked it up to his own battery, sucking the life out of his own car to help someone else that he didn't even know.
And that's Bruce as I know him. He would do anything for anyone else without hesitancy. He was always all about people, all about leading others to Christ. He was an amazing example of what a great Christ-follower could be. Whenever I saw him, which thinking back wasn't enough, he always had a smile, a hug, and an encouraging word. I'm pretty sure that, through the years, he somehow lost the ability to complain about anything. He was so very positive. And the world needs positive, encouraging, love-you-for-no-reason kinds of people like him.
And that's why I'm at such a loss. Why?? Why on Earth did God allow him to go? We still needed him here. We weren't done with him. So many people relied on him for so many things. And we want him back here and now! Yesterday should be erased and redone because this cannot be true.
I know that God has a plan here. He has an amazing plan that we can't even see through our grief. But it is so hard to think about that when all we can see is bad timing, sadness, anger, hurt...
God, show us your plan. Wrap your arms around all of your aching children today! We need you more than ever in the coming days as we navigate this new life you've set before us...
