The Daily Respite

After hearing about the possible death of a deacon at the hands of his own, I've found something in Christondom that helps remind me to keep perspective that God is bigger than our own failings and even our tragedies. David Koenig, Disney fan and author, pens an article today about the death of Debbie Stone. You see, Debbie was a newly minted high school graduate in 1974 with plans for college and an engagement. She became an employee of Disneyland but was sadly killed on an attraction July 8th in the same summer. I'll let David tell the parent's story:

Bill and Marilyn Stone are good, kind people. Like Debbie, they are strong, devoted Christians. This, of course, begs the question: where was God on July 8, 1974? What kind of a God would take away someone with so much promise, with so much to give? Imagine all the good He could have used her for.

To hear Bill and Marilyn tell it, God had bigger plans. Learning of the tragedy, at 2:00 the next morning, was devastating. Still, said Marilyn, “when the deputy left, my husband and I knelt down and thanked God He gave her to us for 18 years.”

They believe God began preparing them for the loss of their daughter about three months earlier. Marilyn recently told an Omaha reporter: “One day the mailbox was filled with letters for her from colleges and I just felt immediately, She's going to be leaving home and going to college.' And then she was also engaged and I felt she's going away and she won't be here anymore, and I just began to cry and cry. And during that time God was really preparing me for her death, but I figured it was that she'd be leaving for college and then getting married and wouldn't be coming home again.”

Time has slowly brought solace to the Stone family and drawn them even closer to Jesus Christ. Deborah's death inspired one of her four younger brothers, David, to become a missionary in the South Pacific.