God Knows Better - Devotional

“Many are the plans in the mind of man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” -Proverbs 19:21

Written by: Heidi Farris

My friend Heather just lost her husband Ray after a three-year battle with brain cancer. Knowing she was a “cave dweller”- one who would rather lick wounds privately, I wanted her and the kids to be able to avoid the crowds. I wanted to protect them from the hard emotions they would come across throughout the services.

With the complications of Covid, Heather had a little more leeway about planning the burial.

I happened to be with her when she was making the decision about when to have the wake and burial. My vote was from 11am to 1pm. My reasoning? It was too late in the morning for people to go to work late and too early in the afternoon for people to leave work early. Genius. People won't be able to make it to the visiting hours. It will be quiet and the suffering will be minimal.

When I pulled up to the funeral home, it wasn't even 11:00 yet and the parking lot was packed! Ugh, I thought. Poor Heather and the kids... The following two hours delivered countless people to support Ray's family. The line never lulled! I sat in a chair and watched, poised to somehow rescue them. I watched as they connected with people they just saw recently and people they hadn't seen in years. The line of people kept coming and coming. People were telling his kids how much their dad meant to them. At the end of visiting hours when people were gathered, five men, including my husband, told stories about Ray and how much he impacted them with his laughter, playfulness and faith in God. Even one of his friends, who isn't a believer, acknowledged Ray's faith because it was evident in everything he did. Then his pastor spoke and shared the Gospel.

I was very wrong. These kids needed to know their father's impact on so many lives. I hadn't considered their perspective about their dad- especially the last year when the cancer really started challenging Ray. Maybe they saw more of the serious, withdrawn side of Ray than the rest of the world did. This day taught the kids how much of a hero their dad was and how much faith played a role in his life. Three hours of discomfort will be an endless supply of soul food for Ray's family in the future. 

Beyond beginning to heal Ray's family, that hard time brought comfort to all who came. That day, people arrived with their softened hearts and they left with the gospel- all because this lovable soul drew so many people together to share in their grief of his death. I wonder how many seeds of faith were planted in that room.

So many times in our lives, we question God when He pulls rank on us and makes us go through hard things- even when our “perfect plan” can make us go around that hard thing. We have to remember God is our perfect Father and he knows what's best for us. Sometimes what's best is what's hardest. His plans are bigger, better, wiser, and filled with more love than we could ever possibly do with our mere humanity.