Today I received the news that a very brave, eight year old boy, Connor Cruse, lost his battle with cancer. As I read the message I wept. Although the family lives in our neighborhood, I have never met Connor, but I have seen his photographs and the wonderful things that his mother and father have written about him. His favorite color was green and he loved pizza and s’mores! As the mother of a boy I cannot imagine the pain of letting your child go and feeling so helpless to be able to make everything alright. His family describe him as a superhero not only because he loved watching those larger than life characters, but in truth he was one. The family did everything they could for Connor. They pursued every avenue of treatment that is currently available, but in the end, they had to say goodbye. 

Therein lies the greatest mystery of faith, the gap between here and there. As Connor closed his eyes for the last time on this earth he opened them in the glorious presence of Jesus, but only his eyes saw that, not his parents or his brothers and sister. We are called to walk by faith and not by sight, but how we long for sight. So today, I ask you to pray for this family and as they walk out the next few days and weeks and months, and let’s look into the eyes of our children every single day and tell them that they are loved. Remember, too, that Jesus walks with us whether we are on this side of the river, and when we have found that it has taken us all the way home.

“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing–nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable–absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8:38-39 (The Message)