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Fire

Monday was a bittersweet day our family will never forget. While my youngest brother and his wife were at the hospital, awaiting the arrival of their second son, my younger sister and her husband were escaping a fire that consumed their house and all their belongings.

The day moved forward with waves of grief and joy, happiness and sorrow. One family forever changed by a new addition, the other forever changed by a catastrophic loss.

Many of you have asked about my sister and her family and how they are holding up. I cannot sugarcoat the situation or gloss over the heartbreaking sense of disorientation they are experiencing. You make your house your home, your place of refuge in the world. To watch it go up in flames strikes at the heart of your sense of security and identity.

This was the house my sister planned from the ground up. For months, they observed its construction. Since moving in last summer, they had already opened the doors for church functions, for pro-life charity events, for anniversaries and celebrations. We spent much of Thanksgiving weekend there, playing games together, feasting on turkey and ham, playing foosball in the bonus room, and watching all the cousins play on the porch. To think of this joyful home – already overflowing with good memories – consumed by flames makes my heart stop.

Yet there is so much gratitude in the midst of this grief. It’s not the grief that surprises you, but the moments of gratitude.

When you realize the gas leak that caused the explosion could have instantly killed my brother-in-law…

When you realize the fire could have injured my sister or any of her kids…

When you realize that in many house fires, not everyone makes it out alive…

I can’t help but look around my own house and think, I need to hold my kids a little tighter and all this stuff a little looser.

Grief and gratitude in the ashes of life. I’ve seen those sentiments on display in how my sister and her husband are responding to the situation.

Just take a look at some of my sister’s Facebook updates. Here, I see a robust theological interpretation of suffering – how God is building our character, how nothing comes to us that hasn’t passed through His hand, and why His character is good even when our circumstances are bad.

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When I see this kind of response, I can’t help but be inspired by my little sis. She’s not even 30 years old yet, and she is moving forward as a strong woman of faith. It’s when you’re walking through the smoldering ruins of your home, grieving your loss and grateful for life, that you see what someone is made of. The combination of toughness and tenderness I see in my sister and her husband inspires me. As one of her Facebook friends wrote: “The house may be gone but the people in it are still here to serve. Satan loses again.”

None of us know why this tragedy took place, but all of us know Who is in control. And knowing the Who is more satisfying than answering the why anyway.

[At this time, my sister’s family has housing and many gifts of clothes, food, etc. If you would like to help, please do so by praying for them as they deal with this loss.]

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