Nineteen years ago today I heard the words, “It’s a girl!” and life changed forever!

Pink dresses, white bonnets, and tiny black leather shoes entered a house filled with Hot Wheels and Mr. Potato Heads.

I remember kissing Adrienne’s cheeks all the time, soaking her up, thankful.

And then, without warning, she was gone-and life changed forever again.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, while researched for years, has never truly been understood.

Neither has the question to why innocent children have to suffer.

As I think about the horror of that morning when Tim found our 6 week old baby girl not breathing in her crib, I try to pull myself above the walls of our home and see the scene from God’s eyes.

What did God feel as He watched all of this unfold?

I ask myself that same question when I replay videos of the tsunami overtaking Japan.

The horror of the waves crashing over people and homes. The screams of people watching.

Sometimes I shutter at the thought of a God who watches all of this and does not intervene. I understand the depth of questioning that comes from those who struggle to believe.

And then I remember.

I remember that God does not see this place as our home. He sees it as a road leading Home. Adrienne’s road was short and very, very sweet. If we could see the other side of life, the spiritual side, I think we would smile at the thought of Adrienne being lifted by angels to enter a place with golden streets. If we could see the spiritual side of the tsunami, I think we might even smile as we witnessed hundreds of souls being lifted to Heaven.

The somber truth is this:

Life is but a vapor for all of us.

How we move from this world to the next is uncertain.

When we move from this world to the next is uncertain.

Where we go when we move from this world to the next is up to us.

Eventually, though, each of us will stand before the Creator of the Universe and give an account of our life.

Today, I think of Adrienne celebrating almost 19 years of eternity with God and somehow I smile on her birthday. Thank you, Lord, for the assurance of a life beyond this one.

Today, I think of the victims of the tsunami and pray that God is working in powerful ways to bring people closer to Him through their pain.

Today, I think of all of you and I pray that you are ready………………………….

Life on this planet is temporary and brief.

Eternity, on the other hand, lasts forever.

Knowing how quickly earthly life changes, I ask myself this question, “On which life will I focus today?”