Audrey Caroline Smith

Today is Audrey's birth date. She is celebrating her 1st birthday in heaven, while her family celebrates her life here, without her... Please, pray for her Mommy, Angie, her Daddy, Todd, her three sisters and the rest of her family and friends. As you know, I don't personally know this family, but I feel like I do, what with following Angie's blog and all. But, I am well-aquainted with the pain that comes with losing a child, and so, today, I'm taking many extra moments, here and there, to be still, to pray, to read the WORD, to be on my knees for the Smiths. Their pain is still so raw, I'm sure, and today must be so bittersweet.

God is able to use a life, no matter how short, to serve His purpose, for His glory. Angie may be Audrey's voice, but it is Audrey's life that is reaching thousands of people, around the world, with the good news that Jesus loves them, died for them, came alive again, and offers forever life and forgiveness to any and all who will receive it. How proud Angie and Todd must be of their daughter and her life! I'm sure Audrey is also proud of her Mommy and Daddy. They willingly bare their sorrows and share their grief so that they might be the voice of Audrey's life.

I know, all too well, what it's like to know your child is in heaven and is okay, and that their life brings glory to God - and yet, to still just really long for them to be in your arms and for God to bring about His purpose some other way, some other way that doesn't involve my child being gone. And yet, His ways are not our ways, and we trust and we obey. We cling to our faith in God and He remains faithful.

God led me to Psalm 40. I will be reading this and praying this over the Smith family today. I think it fits perfectly to what they are going through. I encourage you to read it. I may post it on here later.

Angie put up this awesome new Selah song on her blog yesterday (time is running out to hear it! It's amazing! Click HERE to hear it, if there is still time.) I can't post the actual performance, but here are the words. I pray they speak to you...

Unredeemed

Written by Chad Cates, Tony Wood, Brian Petak
Produced by Bernie Herms
And had the FIRE sung out of it by Amy Perry and Todd Smith

The cruelest words
The coldest heart
The deepest wounds
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter night
The wasted years
Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are…

Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed

For every choice
That led to shame
And all the love
That never came
For every vow
That someone broke
And every life
That gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all – just

Places
Where grace is
Soon to be so amazing
They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
But when anything that’s shattered
Is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed

They may be unfulfilled
They may be unrestored
You never know the miracles
The father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Unredeemed

Ruthie