Please pray for the Rines

Last Thursday night, my wife and I took our daughter out to eat to celebrate her 26th birthday. We had a nice meal and then the two of them duped me into going to one of the lovely malls we have here in Omaha. I thought that would be fine since they would only be gone a "few minutes." "We just want to check on one thing." I went to the sporting goods store and then the Apple Computer store and then to the Fossil watch store. That took about 5 minutes. I happened to catch them walking as I headed back to the car. "I"m just going to wait on you at the car," I said. My daughter gave me one of those smiles thinking that I was going back to the car to take a nap.
I sat there (and didn't sleep) and sat there and sat there and sat there. Finally, after quite a while (nearly an hour) they showed up. I let them know my displeasure and told them they should have at least let me know they were going to spend the time shopping while leaving me with nothing to do in the car.
At about the same time on that Thursday night, Micah Rine Pate was murdered. My friend Dennis and Terri Rine lost their child who was almost exactly the same age as my daughter. She was shot and her body dumped along the banks of the Loosahatchie River. She didn't deserve that. She was a sweet girl who loved God.
My daughter, Meredith, once bit Micah in first grade. You see, Micah took her chair and so she responded. Micah's birthday was at the end of April and Meredith's at the first of May. Each year we communicated to find out when there was a party so we didn't interfere with the other. Dennis was in my men's prayer group. My parents knew his parents. My parents knew his grandaparents. My parents knew Terri's parents.
It was my wife who pointed out to me that when I was complaining about my daughter shopping, the Rine's daughter was losing her life. And while I still have my daughter, they don't. O, Lord, please forgive me. Forgive my foolish ways. Help me to appreciate my family more even when they are doing things I don't enjoy. And help me to never....never take them for granted. Please comfort Dennis, Terri, and Casey. Help them to know that you hold them in the palm of your hand. Help them to know that this world is not our home. Father, bless them. Help them to know that you know and understand what it's like to lose a child. In Jesus name. Amen.