God is still good.

My sister went to be with the Lord on Saturday night.

I know I will grieve, some days more than most. Her death was not too early, and it was not meaningless. Why God chooses to take people how and when He does, I don’t know. I do know His ways are better than my ways, and His thoughts are higher than mine. She was a true embodiment of what it meant to suffer well. It doesn’t mean she never felt sadness or sorrow in the face of the inevitable, but it did mean she trusted God through it.

I’ll be honest: I don’t know what to write in some of these sentences. I don’t even fully know what I’m feeling, except for a deep sorrow inside my chest. I know God is forever with me as He knows what I’m feeling and grieves with me. His heart hurts for us here. She was loved deeply and affected so many people with her compassion, kindness, and joy. I will continue to remind myself of God’s truths and promises. I will repeat them over and over until I never forget I am loved and cared for.

We live in a world of chaos where suffering abounds. God tells us,

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

The world never stops for your pain or for your suffering. It doesn’t ask you how you are doing, and it doesn’t hold you close when you’re crying.

But Jesus does.

He promises to always be with us and to never leave us. He came here to live a perfect life, die for our sins, and be resurrected to defeat death and Satan. He did what we could never do ourselves. That’s the kind of love I strive to give everyone I come into contact with.

I will grieve well.

I will love well.

I will glorify well.

My pain is only temporary. My grief will seem never-ending sometimes. I will remain steadfast in God’s promises. “Our suffering here on earth is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory in Heaven because of that” -2 Corinthians 4:17

I will see her again.

Praise God, she is no longer suffering.

God, thank you for my sister and her life here on earth. You allowed us to see many of your characteristics embodied in her walk through her suffering. You held her up through it all and never left her. Whatever the reason, Lord, I do not know, but that is okay. Job never saw why He suffered, but He saw you, God, and that was enough. We are clay being molded daily by you. You are the Potter. Thank you, God, for always being here for us. Keep us safe every day, bring comfort to the brokenhearted, and provide us with wisdom to have Godly sorrows and not worldly sorrows. I pray all these things in your name, Amen.

I will leave you with one of the final things my sister said on her own blog.

“My faith remains grounded in God’s character. I know He is good. I know that I will see the purpose in eternity of why this all happened. At the end of the day, to know I am covered in the blood of Jesus and that I can stand before God at the end of this life is simply the greatest gift.”

– Kimberly Hampton