A dear friend

How do I explain the emotions I am feeling right now? As I was reading this morning, the Lord brought me to a very familiar passage to me in the last couple of months...Psalms 116:15, "How precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." The Lord brought me to this passage on January 22, 2008 after I found out that my best friend had been killed in a car wreck. To fill some of you in the history here, Amber Donovan Mathenia has been my best friend since college, a sorority sister, my roommate, and matron of honor in my wedding. She was full of life, adventure, a woman who sought the Lord with everything she was, and shared everyday what the Lord was doing in her life. She was a wife, mother to 2 beautiful adopted children and her and her husband were missionaries to Ethiopia. The Lord allowed me to spend the whole day with her and her children just 24 hours before she was killed and I am so thankful that He was gracious to me. The Lord has used her in my life probably more than anyone else and for that, I will be ever grateful that I had the opportunity to know her. There are so many things she taught me about being a child of God, a wife, mother and friend that I am applying to my life every day. Every day is different and some days I honestly rejoice at all the Lord has done but there are others when my heart just hurts and today is one of those. I honestly just miss her really bad today and want to just pick up the phone to call her. My heart aches for her family knowing that Mother's Day is just around the corner and how bitter-sweet it must be. The Lord has definitely received glory from her life and death and for that I know His will is perfect. But is it ok for my heart to hurt???

How much more must have the disciples felt as they spent so much time with Jesus then to see him tortured and crucified all for the sake of us? Remember what your savior has done for you today and like every day, hug those that you love and focus on the things that are most important.