A Life Remembered

That we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. - 2 Corinthians 1:4


Daddy, help me." Those were the last words Dianne and Gary Cronin heard their daughter say as she strunggled to breathe. Kristin, 14 years old, died suddenly - just 2 days after saying she didn't feel well. A strep infection attacked her body on Thursday. By Saturday, she was pleading with her daddy to help her.

Before Kristin died, I was scheduled to speak at her family's church in Soldotna, Alaska. In God's timing, I stood before the congregation the day after her funeral.

Kritin was one of those vivacious teens who loved Jesus and lived for Him - and whose sudden death leaves us with a million questions.

Because I went through a similar loss of my own teenage daughter a few years ago, I was able to offer some advice to this stunned and grieving church. First, I said, we must recognize God's sovereignty. Psalm 139:16 reminds us that Kristin's life was the exact length God intended. Second, I asked the church never to forget her family. Whether it's 2 months or 5 years later, the family will never "get over" losing Kristin. They will never stop needing Christians who care and remember.

In times like this, don't forget that God is in control and that He wants us to be a comfort to others. - Dave Branon


When we sustain a heartbreaking loss,
When grief overwhelms our soul,
The Savior who gave Himself on the cross
Reminds us that He's in control. - D. De Haan

In every desert of despair God has an oasis of comfort.

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Psalms 139:1-16

Yahweh, you have seached me, And you know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You perceive my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my living down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.

You hem me in behind and before. You laid your hand on me. This knowledge is beyond me. It's lofty. I can't attain it. Where could I go from you Spirit? Or where could I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there! If I take the wings of the dawn, And settle in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there your hand will lead me, And your right hand will hold me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; The light around me will be night;" Even the darkness doesn't hide from you, But the night shines as the day. The darkness is like light to you.

For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to you, For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

My frame wasn't hidden from you, When I was made in secret, Woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there were none of them.

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