God will help with the pain

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” (Romans 4:8 NIV)

Carl Hoefler (Will Daylight Come? [C. C. S. Publishing, 1979]) tells the story of a little boy who was visiting his grandparents. He was given his first slingshot and was having fun playing with it in the woods, but he never hit anything he was aiming at. But on his way home, as he cut through the back yard, he saw Grandmother’s pet duck. He took aim and let the stone fly. To his horror, it went straight to the mark and the duck fell dead.The boy panicked. He quickly hid the dead duck in the woodpile. Then he saw his smirking sister Sally standing by the corner of the house. She had seen the whole affair.They went in for lunch. Sally said nothing. After lunch, Grandmother said, “Sally, let’s clear the table and wash the dishes.” Sally said, “Oh, Grandmother, Johnny said he wanted to help you in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.Later in the day Grandfather called the children to go fishing. Grandmother said, “I’m sorry, but Sally has to stay here to help me clean house and get dinner.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all been taken care of. Johnny said he wanted to help today, didn’t you, Johnny?” Then she whispered, “Remember the duck!” Steven J. Cole, Forgiveness: The Supreme Blessing (Romans 4:6-8), Copyright 2011,Bible.org reprinted with permission

What a wonderful story of forgiveness! I have a couple friends that are really in pain right now. One is in the hospital with severe brain trauma. One of his best friends was involved in this freak, tragic accident. I am in pain for both of them. An innocent moment of friendly banter took a terrible turn. I know they literally love each other and have been friends for more than 20 years. 

Things happen in life we could never predict. Actions we take every day without a thought or problem can all the sudden turn tragic. While the actions weren't sinful, they did have dire consequences. God is there when our actions lead to unintended results. He is there to get us through the trauma when we think we just can't bear the pain. He knows our heart, he knows our intent, he knows our pain. Not only does he know the pain, he suffers that pain right along with us. He sent his son to die to remove our pain.

My prayers are deep and constant for these two dear friends that they would lean on the God they serve. He is willing to take on all the guilt and pain. Rely on him in all things.