On April 6, 2012, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “God loves you, God loves those you love and He has great plans for your lives.”

I was soberly leaving the funeral of my dearest friend, Heather. We had been friends since childhood. I still remember the day we met. What I remember most is her smile that lit up any room.

Heather was tragically killed in a traffic accident. She lost control of her car, hit a tree and was instantly killed. She left behind a loving husband and two amazing sons.

She had such a joy and vigor for life that it seemed such a waste to lose her so soon. In an instant, and without warning, the lives of her friends and family were intertwined like a violent whirlwind. We were in shock and at times just stood and looked at each other, dumbfounded, with no words to express our sorrow. 

But as we left the funeral home, I looked at my husband and said, “Some people ask the question ‘why?’ When people experience loss, they often ask God, ‘why?’ I don’t have to know why. I trust God. I know He loves me, He loves Heather’s family and He has great plans for our lives.”

November 2, 2012, I was reminded of those words again. Our two-year-old son, Ryan, had been sick for a month. After multiple trips to our pediatrician, we finally took him to the local children’s hospital. The doctors ran a battery of tests and then notified us that our son had type 1 diabetes. 

For some unknown reason, his little body attacked his pancreas and shut it down. That day we were hit with the realization that every day, for the rest of his life, we would have to fight to keep him alive. As my heart turned inside out and shock set in I heard the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit, “God loves you, God loves Ryan and He has great plans for your lives.”

Our heartache was multiplied at the end of 2012 when my Grandma Nesbit passed away and, two weeks later, my sweet Granny Burklund suddenly died.

When we experience unfathomable tragedy, we plead with God to give us words of grandeur and enlightenment that will encompass all our unanswered questions. Instead, He often steals our hearts and enraptures us with His love. He tenderly directs our hearts and thoughts to the purest and simplest ideas.

God loves you. God loves me. He has great plans for our lives.

When tragedy strikes we may not feel like we have control over our emotions. We may feel we have lost our minds or even that His Spirit has left us. Even in these moments, we can access hope and a future gazing into His eyes and experiencing His almighty presence. We are given many examples of this in the Bible.

King David chose sin, but he repented, chose to seek after God, and was blessed with a legacy through Solomon and later through Jesus.

Jacob was tricked, but God gave him what was promised and much more.

Hannah was barren, but through keeping a promise to God, she had a son, Samuel, who was a prophet and a judge to the nation of Israel.

Esther, an orphan, became a queen and put her life on the line for her people. God used her obedience to rescue her people from death and persecution.

We never know when tragedy may strike, but we do know that we have a God who is with us in the midst of it. No matter what trial we face, if we choose God we choose hope and a future!

Angela is an adventurous mom who has traveled the world. Angela decided to start writing after her youngest son was diagnose with Type 1 DIABETES. Angela’s life message is that even when life is not so simple what you need is simple faith.

Visit her blog at  pureandsimplefaith.blogspot.com