Hands Reaching Around the World

Over the course of the last week my blog was linked to stories on NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, The London Daily, The Christian Chronicle, and the NY Times. It is another reminder of the power of the written word. But the power of that blog (see below "If Tomorrow Never Comes") was not the written word. It was the Living Word.

In my tribute to Diana Reed it is easy to see that the real star of that story is Jesus. Diana and Wayne's faith and trust in Jesus served as a lens from which to view all of the messiness and difficulties of life. They made a choice to believe in the restoration power that God provides in the hope of one day tasting  the true restoration of our bodies and souls.

I apologize to members of the media for going under ground these last few days. In order to respect the family's privacy many agreed not to be interviewed. (Unfortunately, I had already given an interview with News Channel 5 in Nashville which I asked them not to air, but they did anyway.) As I listened to each reporter's voice mail I was struck with the same themes over and over.

"Tell us more about Diana Reed and her strength to overcome the battles they faced." 

"We want the world to hear about this amazing women and her journey." 

"Tell us more about Diana's faith." 

"Can you describe the love story of Wayne and Diana Reed?"

These all kind of speak for themselves, don't they? It's not often that you get a call from a NY Times reporter wanting to hear about the amazing life and faith of one of your friends. While none of those interviews were granted, they did lift quotes from this blog and link the stories back here. I am just thankful that people all over the world were able to hear about the incredible life Diana lived. And, mine is only a tiny piece of a huge novel that friends could write about this amazing woman...friends who were Diana's closest confidants like Pat Ward. They can testify to the daily faith that Diana and Wayne have embodied.

If there's one thing that connects us all, it's death. We're struck by the tragedy. We feel empathy. We grieve along side those who grieve. We get frustrated by what seems to be an injustice. We ask questions...primarily, "Why??" And we all want to know how to make sense of this. In this instance, hands reached around the world to rally and support the Reed family. Diana's life mattered. It rippled every day in quiet waves of grace and kindness. It continues to ripple now highlighting the story she devoted her life to.

As my friend Josh Graves (minister at Otter Creek Church in Nashville) wrote this week,

"Death reminds us that we do not ever lose control, we lose the illusion that we were ever in control to begin with. To die is to let go, and trust that the God who spoke you into being is going to see you through into the next great chapter of life. The life that will not end."