Crushed in Spirit

It was time to head back to California, to the children and the responsibilities of everyday life.  Leaving with so many unanswered questions was difficult.

We started the drive from Poplar Bluff to the St. Louis airport.  On the way, I decided that I wanted to stop at the scene of the accident.  I needed to see where George died.  As we slowed down to stop on the shoulder, a red car pulled up behind us.  I wondered who it could be, and out of the car stepped the dear friend that had been riding with George when the accident occurred.
Talk about divine intervention!  

Together we viewed the accident site.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, there were several circles drawn where George's body was.  They were still there and visible.  And I will never forget looking down at where his torso had been, and seeing his blood stains that had not been completely washed away.  I remember seeing blood stains on the cables that his body had gone through.  

My hero, this wonderful friend to George, was able to walk me through what had happened that fateful day.  Some of the details are just to graphic to share.  We walked down the median and found pieces of the motorcycle that had not been picked up, a foam piece of the seat, the speedometer, one of the handle bars, and we found the sunglasses he had been wearing.  I was amazed at how far down from the point of impact that we found those items.  I kept thinking and saying out loud, "Oh, George."  My heart was just overwhelmed with the brutality of his death. And even though I was told that he died immediately on impact, I still questioned that.  It is something I would question for a long time to come.   Did he suffer?  Did he feel any pain? Was he scared? 

When we got back in the car to continue our drive, I felt the most awful painful cry coming up from the deepest part of my heart and soul.  I remember  hanging my head down between my knees and exploding with sobs that were so long, they took my breath away.

I was recently thinking of how Mary, the mother of Jesus must have felt as she witnessed the horrible cruelty of her precious boy's death.  I remember the sorrow Jesus felt at hearing the news of the death of his good friend Lazarus.  We are told in the book of John, that Jesus was "deeply moved in spirit and troubled."  And we are told that, "Jesus wept."  

I hope you will take comfort today in knowing that there is nothing that happens to us that Jesus does not share with us, whether joy, pain, or sorrow.  He is not an unfeeling King sitting on a throne.  He is actively involved in our lives.  Psalm 34:18, says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  

If you are brokenhearted today and you feel your spirit is crushed, remember, you are not alone.  Cling to that promise my friends, and remember, there is

Sunshine After the Storm
Blessings
Betsy