This week TobyMac's song "21 Years" came out in full force. The first day (around mid-afternoon) it had roughly 500,000 views. The next day around the same time, he was up over a million views. The day following that it was at 2.5 million.
Why mention the stats? I think it's interesting. People want to know what happens to loved ones when they pass. Why do they pass at such young ages? What was the cause of death? How is the family coping? How can I cope with my own loss?
At the beginning of this week, the day after his music video when live, my family lost the youngest member of our family: my great-niece. Now y'all, I'm not that old. But my older brother got started early in life and his oldest daughter has two children. Therefore, I am a great aunt. And my niece lost her baby unexpectantly Sunday evening. She wasn't even a year old.
It devastated us all. Why did she leave us so soon? What caused her death? How is my niece going to cope with this horrific loss? All sorts of questions floating around our heads.
One thing I know is this. That baby girl is up in heaven embracing my father; her great-grandfather. And my Father God is also enveloping her in His arms and loving on her in a more perfect way than we could ever do down here. But it doesn't make the pain any less.
As I reflect on TobyMac's song, which by the way encapsulates the grieving process so accurately, and then the death of our sweet niece, I can only be more driven to tell others about Christ.
If your loved one has passed on and they were a believer in Christ, my friend, we are promised that we will see them again. But we must also be followers of Christ in order to enter into Heaven.
I implore you today. If you are unsure of whether or not you would make it to Heaven, take time today to talk to God and tell Him you want to live for Him forever. He says in Romans 10:13, "For everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." No, if, ands, or buts, about it. You call. He saves. It's that simple.
I am soooo looking forward to the day I will see my father again. I am eager to hold my sweet little niece again. And I pray you will be on that train when it comes by...able to see your loved ones again too.
Embracing this day and all that it entails,
Charity
This blog post was so amazing! I can’t wait for the next one!