No More Sadness

After many months of hard work, my husband and I were thoroughly enjoying our long-anticipated vacation in Kauai, Hawaii. On one sunny afternoon, we went snorkeling at Ke‘e Beach, located on the North shore of the island. We were delighted to see many different colorful fish.
Suddenly we heard a small female voice crying, “Help, Help!” My husband and I swam out to the woman and painstakingly pulled her back on to the rocks. Almost out of breath, she thanked us for our help, but quickly shouted out, “John!” We looked out into the ocean, but did not see anyone in our vicinity. There were some strong undercurrents there at the beach.
Unfortunately, we could not find her husband. About 15 minutes later, he was found 400 yards West of Ke‘e Beach. Other beachgoers and later paramedics, were unable to revive him. This couple, John and Urszula Telfer from San Jose, CA, were also vacationing in Hawaii. They were both supposed to fly back the next day, but now she had to fly home alone. Mr. Telfer was 44 years old and the couple had only been married for four years.
I called Mrs. Telfer a few days later and she said, “We had such a good marriage and when we first met, we knew we wanted to grow old together.” She was taking counseling sessions to help deal with the grief from the loss of her dear husband. I deeply sympathized with Mrs. Telfer, realizing that the same tragedy could have happened to anyone.
Sometimes we do not understand why things happen, but we just need to trust God. God can give us the peace and comfort we desperately need in times of sorrow. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isa. 41:10).
As I grow older and see the many needs and sorrows around me, I am so grateful to know that there is a God in heaven who knows and deeply cares for us, and will soon put an end to the suffering in this world. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). I cherish the hope that someday we shall meet again loved ones who have past away in Jesus, restored to a new life.
Ly Lan Nguyen