On August 18, 2015, our 19-year-old daughter Elizabeth left on a hike with a wave of her hand and a happy smile. She was staying with cousins in Switzerland, between the end of her summer job there and the start of college. She was heading to the top of a nearby popular trail where she could take a photo of the beautiful valley below. She never came back. It was the hardest time we have ever endured, but God was so gentle with us even as He took her.
Our emotions went rampant in those first few days. We thought if only we had been with our daughter, surely this wouldn’t have happened. “If only …” But God gives life and He also determines the end. He is sovereign over it all. He ordains the number of days for each person to live. We can find comfort that there are no accidents with God.
We had to let go of the hunger for control before it created a crust around our soul. Let this passage remind you that, even through great loss, God is still King of the universe. Bow before Him, the One who is really in control.