This is not how life is supposed to be. But there’s a glimmer of hope.
Life is often filled with pain and heartache. Things are not always easy. There would be no joy without sorrow. But sometimes there is pain dished out in such a way that you can’t help but wonder why, what the purpose in it will become, what will come from this in the end.
A young girl passed away Thursday morning from an accident during a Christmas production at Crossroads. This is heart wrenching for an infinite number of reasons. It is frightening to think of the way those who do not know Crossroads or Keri might react. Of how this could hurt them. It is like a right hook to the jaw to think of what her family must be going through right now, how her friends and classmates must feel.
Bec & I met her Monday night at dress rehearsal. Talked with her. Laughed. It wasn’t long, five or ten minutes at most. But you could tell that she was filled with joy, so excited to be a part of God’s story, to be a part of this production. Bec wrote about it here.
Keri’s part as a wiseman was incredible. It opened our eyes to a new part of this story that we’ve missed out on for years. How could we have missed this!? And how sad that this loss is when we finally saw what God has wanted to speak through this story for so long. The wisemen gave up everything, to follow, a star. A freaking star. That is not an easy task. They move you know, and you have no idea when you are actually going to get where this star is going. But they gave up everything they had, to follow this star, because they felt like they had to. It was their story, their journey.
The glimmer of hope? Keri died doing something she LOVED. Not something she liked a little bit, or something she felt obligated to do, or dreaded. She was filled with joy to be a part of this. It is her story. And that is what God wants for us. To be filled with joy. To follow our star.
I shot this photo of Keri on Monday at dress rehearsal. It was published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, on the front page. It is the first photo I have ever had published, and it is not what I wanted to come from these snaps. Not at all. But it was beautiful. And that’s what this is about.
Story
Beauty
Redemption
Brokenness
Healing.
