From a letter to the parents of five teenagers who were killed in a traffic accident

Dear ones,

My heart breaks for you whose hearts are broken. My eyes weep for you who weep. I feel your agony and loss. All I've been thinking about since I heard the news is you who are suffering so unspeakably.

You had such great plans for your children. They were growing up so beautifully, so radiantly, and now they're gone--instantly! Perhaps all you can say is, "Why, Lord? How could You punish us so severely?" My heart breaks for you as you endure such torment of spirit, and I pray that even in your sorrow you can know His peace.

I recently lost the one who was dearest on earth to me, so I know what it's like. I know what it feels like to suddenly realize that things are never going to be the same again. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye either. I didn't get a chance to ask his forgiveness for all the ways I'd failed him. I didn't get a chance to put my arms around him and love him one last time or assure him of how much he meant to me. I know what it's like to battle condemnation, but I also know what it's like to receive the Lord's abundant supply of grace in time of need, His peace that passes all understanding, His strength to go on another day, His answers to my many questions.

At a time like this, the only thing we can do is turn to Jesus and His Word for comfort. I can speak from experience. I know that in spite of the loss, in spite of the tears, in spite of the heartache, in spite of the questions, you can have peace knowing that Jesus loves you. The most important thing for you to remember right now is that the Lord loves you. In spite of the battles, in spite of the loss, in spite of the confusion, in spite of the heartbreak, you must hold on to the knowledge that He loves you.

The Lord's love is unending, unfailing, and unchanging. No matter what happens, no matter how dark it looks, no matter how difficult the battle, no matter how dark the tunnel, no matter how long the suffering, Jesus loves you--and He doesn't give His love stingily. He doesn't mete it out a little bit here or a little bit there as you earn it, and then get angry with you and withdraw His love if you are not good enough or make mistakes. That's not the way the Lord does it! He never stops pouring forth His love freely and abundantly. He never turns His back. He never closes His eyes or His ears to your needs or your cries for help and comfort.

When you feel the most desperate and the situation is darkest, when you feel the most confused and hardly even know how to pray, then the Lord will pour forth His love even more abundantly--not less! He knows you need it even more to wash away the pain and wipe away the tears and comfort your broken hearts.

Some of you probably feel great condemnation. Some of you may even be angry with the Lord for not preventing this. Some of you may be feeling bitter. Most of you will be feeling bewildered and shocked and greatly, greatly saddened.

This separation will not be for long. As the Bible says, it's only for a "moment." Then you will all be together forever in Heaven, nevermore to be separated.

The only thing that can wash away these pains is your faith in the Lord's love, that "He does all things well" (Mark 7:37) and that all things truly work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). No matter how strange and hard it is to understand, even this will eventually work together for good. You must be assured that Jesus loves you very much and that He hasn't abandoned you now. You must cling to the promises He has given you in His Word. Even when you can't feel His love or see His love, you can know His love through faith. Your faith in His love is the only thing that is strong enough to quench these fires of sorrow.

Right now you feel that this whole thing is a sign of His lack of love or His anger or His displeasure. You look back and have so many regrets. You're filled with so much remorse. But the Lord's message to you is to let these feelings go--and you can let them go! You must let them go! Let them be washed away under the flood of the Lord's love.

We don't have to do penance for our failures. We don't have to suffer. We don't have to weep. We don't have to endure condemnation. We can find the peace of the Lord in His forgiveness and love. "Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:54).

During my time of sorrow, when I was experiencing feelings of guilt and condemnation, I just couldn't think about the past--not even the good memories of sweet times. I had to leave the past and think about the present. When I looked back at the past, I was overwhelmed with sorrow, but when I refused to dwell on the past but instead focused my attention on the present and the bright future to come, I could feel the assurance of Jesus' love and see the wisdom in His plan. You must not concentrate on the past. It's over with; it's done! In time you'll be able to pull out the happy memories and enjoy them without feeling sadness at every turn, but for now it's probably better to not think about the past at all.

If we only realized how real and how close the spirit world and Heaven are! There is only a veil--only a very thin, almost transparent veil--that separates us from it. Don't feel that you've lost your loved ones, because you haven't! They knew and loved the Lord in this life, and now they're with Him. They've gone ahead of you to the other side of the veil, where you will one day be reunited in the Lord's infinite eternal love.

They're gone, but they're still with you; they're still close--even closer than they were before. If you listen and have faith, you will hear their whispers comforting and encouraging and instructing you. Even if you had differences when together in this life, as everyone does at one time or another, even if you didn't always see eye to eye, even if you had misunderstandings, things will be different now. Now you'll understand and be more united and closer than ever before. All this is possible if you will only have faith.

This separation will not be for long. As the Bible says, it's only for a "moment." Then you will all be together forever in Heaven, nevermore to be separated, nevermore to feel such pain and loss. In spite of the pain you feel right now, you can be blessed with the hope and knowledge of Heaven and the Lord.

Your loss is great and your pain seems overwhelming, but it is small compared to the loss of those who do not have faith, who do not know Jesus, who don't know what happens to their loved ones when they go on. They have no consolation, no comfort, nowhere to turn. They have no hope of seeing their loved ones again or being reunited. But you who are blessed with the truth of the Bible know that your loved ones are with Jesus and are happy, overjoyed, healthy, strong, and beautiful. This separation is only for a time, and then your pain and tears will be forgotten. Have faith!