I read an email from my cousin today which was truly sad. There church recently hired two ministers, one of which was a young family with a 5 year old and 6 month old. The wife was suffering post-partum depression and hung herself last week from a tree in their backyard. The husband and two children came home and apparently the 5 year old saw her first.

I can't imagine the pain and suffering they are all dealing with now. Yet, as I sit from afar thinking about it, I can almost envision how that church will come together around that family, how they will love and care for them. I don't know how the family will respond to what has happened but I know God puts our church family around us to support us, care for us and love us.

Today, I witnessed a young man asking for the prayers and love of his church family and saw a large number of people respond. I know of a number of people who have gone to Dallas over the weekend to be with a member of our church that is sitting with her family as her father is dying.

God shows us love, compassion, forgiveness. Our purpose is to be the hands, the hugs, the food preparers - the physical instruments of God. We are here to wrap the physical arms around each other as God wraps His love and compassion around us.

I truly hope this young minister and his family will feel the love of God from the family that will stand with them. I hope the people in our church family who are hurting will feel the love of God as we wrap our arms around them. I hope all who are hurting will feel the love of God that is so abundant and so comforting.