When Brandon was about 15 years old, he was baptized. I have a picture of that moment tucked away somewhere—a picture that means more to me now than I could have ever imagined.
Fast-forward to just two weeks before everything happened. Brandon and my husband were fishing together at the beach when Brandon told him that he wanted to get back into church. My husband could not wait to tell me. He was so happy because Brandon was ready to put down roots again—not the kind of roots this world offers, but the kind only God can give.
When Brandon took his last breath, we knew where his heart was.
We also knew about the struggles he had faced between the day he was baptized and the day he left this earth. But those struggles did not mean God had turned His back on Brandon. God had never moved. He was patiently waiting for Brandon to turn his heart back toward Him.
When we taught children’s church, we used to tell the children, “God doesn’t move—you do.” Throughout life, we either move closer to Him or farther away from Him, but He remains right where He has always been, ready to receive us.
Some people may question, “Then why did God allow this to happen?”
The truth is, God allows things to happen that He has the power to stop. I cannot tell you why. I cannot see the future or understand what it holds for each of us—but God can. We see only the moment we are living in, while God sees the entire story.
I may never understand on this side of heaven why Brandon had to leave us the way he did. Faith does not mean that I never question, hurt, or struggle. It means choosing to trust God even when I cannot see what He sees or understand what He is doing.
God knew Brandon’s struggles, but He also knew his heart. His grace was greater than Brandon’s past, and His forgiveness was waiting the moment Brandon turned back to Him.
Just two weeks before we lost him, God gave us the comfort of knowing that Brandon was ready for new roots—eternal roots. The kind the world could never give him and can never take away.
All I know is that when I get to heaven, I want to wrap my arms around Brandon, give him the biggest hug, and tell him, “I am so happy to see you again.”
“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.”
—Ezekiel 36:26
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