Life is short. Life can be taken just as fast as it was given. Within an instant, God gave each of us His breath. Within an instant, He’ll give us eternal rest. Life is short for some and sometimes it’s drug out for others.

We all look toward the treasure we have in heaven, our eternal home. When everything is going “normal”, we can be positive and be like yeah, tubular, we got this, we can look at that. It’s hard when you’re actually faced with that – your loved one is nearing the gates of Heaven.

Some days it’s like a dream. Is this really happening? Surely this isn’t my life. Surely God wouldn’t put me through this. I’m not even ready.

Other days it hits me. This is happening. This is my life. God has a plan, I just don’t like it. This is for my good somehow.

How can I be at peace when I’m so hurt? How can anyone feel okay in this position?

My God is so much bigger than these circumstances. My God is aware of how I feel. He never leaves me. He wraps me in his arms daily. He sees my tears. He feels the same sorrow I feel deep inside. He KNOWS.

I don’t know what it’s going to be like. I don’t know how I’m going to feel in the days/weeks/months/years to come. I barely know what I feel right now in this moment.

I’m not angry. I wonder “why this” and “why now.”

I’m hurting. I’m confused. I’m thankful.

I know where he’s headed. I know Who he’ll see. I know that he wants me and us to be strong. He wants our lives to go on. He says that it’ll all be okay. That’s my Dad.

My Dad is always joking. His last breath will be a laugh, a smile. He will be going up the staircase to heaven, not looking back, but looking ahead at the face of Jesus who’s sitting at the right hand of God, and my Dad will be smiling, happy and no longer in pain. No longer facing the trials of earth. He’ll have eternal rest one day.

I’m thankful that things worked out in some ways, even if they haven’t all worked out the way we’ve hoped and prayed. Im thankful for his jokes and all our laughs. I’m thankful for the 23+ years I had with him. I’m thankful for the wisdom he’s given. I’m thankful for his testimony. I’m thankful for being his daughter. I’m thankful for my Dad this thanksgiving.

I’m thankful for the God I serve that’s bigger than all our circumstances, for the God Who is in control, for the God who is omnipotent and omniscient.