Klara, a devout catholic and loving mother of two was enjoying a book when a knock at the door preceded the news every parent dreads to hear:” your son has been in an accident”. The waiting room echoed the clicking heals pacing back and forth as time passed like molasses running uphill. The doctor approached Klara, his face spoke to her soul. Your son is not going to make it ma’am, you need to say your goodbyes to him. Klara dropped to her knees beside the pale eight year old boy. As the tears poured from her eyes, she cried out to God in excruciating pang: “Father, save him! Take my life instead!” God spoke to Klara: “you don’t understand what you are asking me Klara”. Without hesitation Klara responded with a resounding: “I do Lord, take my life! I give it willingly!”

The Lord did take Klara home a few years later when she died of breast cancer. Klara’s son lived to be a healthy man; he lived a total of 56 years. Adolph Hitler died April 30 1945.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” -Isaiah 55:8-9

We may have the best of intentions and what we desire may be noble and pure but we don’t always understand and this life will remain a mystery. Bad things happen to good people and justice does not always prevail… in this life. It isn’t always fair and things seldom work out the way we would have them. There will be a day when the pains of this world will be no more but until that time we must trust the God of the universe knows what He is doing and we need to lay aside our worries. Garth Brooks said: “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”. I came to realize long ago that God does answer the prayer; He just doesn’t always give the answer we wish for. The learning curve is being thankful during the storm.