20 Oct Day 12

Nicole: A Daughter’s Love

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

“Never stop believing in yourselves. My father believed in every one of you and knew the capacity you had to become men of God, fathers of families, and achieve any dream. So be strong, and keep going forward.”

 

This petite 21-year-old looked straight into the eyes of each Hope child at Fernando’s funeral and shared from her heart, without shedding a tear.

 

Yesterday’s reflection told of the tragic death of Nicole’s father, Hope Unlimited’s beloved staff leader. Even as her brother lay in a coma, rocked by grief, she never mentioned her own loss, only a deep concern that someone might use this tragedy as a reason to stop believing. She went on with conviction, never losing her composure:

 

“Don’t let this shake your faith! Embrace this message with all your heart: God continues to be good, He continues to be God, and He continues to be merciful. When things don’t go according to our plans, it doesn’t mean that He’s forgotten about us. He love us and reigns abundantly in each of our lives.

 

“My father is now with our most Holy, Holy God. If anyone here has not accepted God yet as your savior, know that this was my father’s life mission. He always taught us to be courageous and never miss an opportunity to share God’s word, so that is what I am doing now.”

 

Nicole set the bar high for the rest of us; to follow her lead to keep our eyes on the prize…and make sure we are all heaven bound.

We don’t know how much time we have on this earth.  Today, let’s pray that we make each day count as though it was our last, and find ways to share God’s love with others.  Pray that the tragedies we experience never make us doubt, but point us ever more towards a God who loves us.