Blessed Be Your Name
by Denise Morris on 04/16/2007 at 1:55 PM
"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said, 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'" (Job 1:20-21, NIV)
Across the country from me, 32 people have been murdered at Virginia Tech University. There aren't many details yet -- it seems as though one man went on a shooting rampage, killing as many people as he could. At least 21 more people are injured, and Fox News is reporting it as the "most deadly shooting spree in U.S. history."
Here in Colorado, I am mourning the loss of a dear friend and co-worker, Sheryl Dewitt. Sheryl was one of my professors at the Focus on the Family Institute, and she became my friend and trusted adviser after I began my job here. She died yesterday of a cancer that came on so quickly and fiercely that we barely had time to say goodbye. As the president of the Institute, Del Tackett, said in a blog post today, Sheryl was someone it is difficult to live without:
It was impossible not to love Sheryl. She was as selfless an individual as I have ever met. You just wanted to be around her. Sheryl was a wife, a mother, a teacher, a counselor, a bouquet of yellow daisies, a bubbling brook and a fountain that brought forth an ever-fresh spring of joy to everyone that came in contact with her.
All of this loss -- the young students at Virginia Tech and the vibrant mother here in Colorado -- is difficult to understand. Why did God allow it? How do you survive the tragedy? How do you react to this sorrow like Job did -- or do I even want to?
I don't know how to answer those questions.
What I do know is that, all of a sudden, most things seem a bit more trivial than they used to. I know that I am in pain for the families who are experiencing shock, grief, relief, anger and so much more. And I am thankful that Sheryl has reached her ultimate destination on her journey toward the Holy One.
In the end, all I really know is that we are to bless our God who gives and takes away. We don't understand why He allows these things. We only try to desperately cling to the hope that death has been swallowed up in victory because of the promise we have in Jesus.
Though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name....
1. erin said the following at 2:13 PM on Apr 16:
This is truly heartbreaking, and it definitely reminds me of what in life is truly important. It makes me want to call my mom to tell her I love her. In fact, I'll go do that. My prayers are with all involved.
2. Maxine said the following at 2:45 PM on Apr 16:
oh, how can people live in the world that we live and say humans are not depraved, that humanity is not fallen, that we're fine on our own and that we don't need a Saviour?
3. Linda said the following at 2:46 PM on Apr 16:
I lost a wonderful co-worker several months ago to a fast acting cancer. He was a fairly new Christian and was such a kind man. We must give flowers while we can, because we never know when those we appreciate and admire will be gone from us. Think of all those parents, siblings, friends and loved ones who lost their precious ones today in the terrible shooting. God help us.
4. V said the following at 2:46 PM on Apr 16:
This news is devastating. I pray that those suffering may meet the God of all comfort in the midst of this desperate situation. God be with them, and God, have mercy.
5. V said the following at 2:50 PM on Apr 16:
Another thing. I'm saddened for the families of these victims of such a horrible crime. But I'm also saddened for the person who was driven to this action. Someone, who I can only imagine, was once a child with dreams and aspirations that went terribly wrong in adulthood. For anyone out there suffering, there is hope in Christ for whatever your seemingly desperate situation. It doesn't have to be taken out on innocent lives; it can be taken to the feet of the cross where everything was paid for.
6. Vincenzo said the following at 5:52 PM on Apr 16:
About 2 years ago I lost a friend to throat cancer. It was such a painful moment for me because I hadn't seen him for a while and never got a chance to catch up with him.
7. Jill Anttila said the following at 8:26 AM on Apr 17:
This is beautiful, Denise. You couldn't have said it better.
8. Justin said the following at 10:28 AM on Apr 17:
'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'
This is one of my favorite Bible Verses. Thank you.
9. lewis said the following at 10:29 AM on Apr 17:
i miss sheryl, too. but as a friend of mine said a couple days before she died, "with sheryl, we don't feel a rush to get to the hospital and tell her how we feel about her or that we need to find out how she feels about us. she is special in that she told everyone exactly what they meant to her and we told her back. we wanted to, because we loved her so much."
i'll miss seeing her when i come back to fotfi. but, i'm happy she's with jesus now. i know her husband and kids will miss her greatly, as will everyone who knew her, but i rejoice that her suffering is done and her race is won!
10. DanL said the following at 7:30 PM on Apr 17:
I struggled with whether it was appropriate to post this right after the tragedy in West Virginia, so I apologize if I offend anyone.
Several years ago while I was in graduate school I was working in one of the physics labs when we were informed there was shooting in a building not far from us (it was actually a parking structure) and not to leave the building. The building I was in only housed research labs and had no students, so we didn’t have any formal “lockdown.” For a couple hours the only other information we had came from the web. Someone had come to campus, shot his former girlfriend in the head, and then killed himself. She survived. For several months the word was that she would be blind and severely brain damaged for the rest of her life. And then, I must confess I forgot about her.
Ten days ago, a good friend of mine who is still a student, emailed me this article. The victim is blind, but is otherwise doing quite well and has been able to return to school. From the article: “[the victim] says she likes to think that her situation - and her overcoming it - will help others deal with their own problems in life. She says most of her success comes from God's help, which she sees in the support from family, friends and her church community at the First Korean Presbyterian Church of Washington.” There is more. Read it.
11. Whitney Hirschinger said the following at 1:14 PM on Apr 24:
Wow. It is so crazy that you write about this on here...I used part of the exact same verse from Job and I was talking about God giving and taking away in my current online devotional entry! :)
God is so good...and we may not be able to fully comprehend why he allows the things to happen that do happen, but I do know that C.S. Lewis quotes something along the lines of 80% of evil comes from our own doing, and unfortunately with free will comes saddness and sin...I can only hope and trust that God will bring justice to all the taking away that has happened...
God Bless the Hokies!!