We recently had to make the very difficult decision to put our dog Scooter, who had been a part of our lives for over 10 years, down. Now it's one thing when death comes uninvited into your life and takes someone, or something, that you love; but when you are in a position when you have to make that decision yourself, it can be much harder.

I was thinking about how difficult it has been for our family to come to the point of being able to let our dog go; but then it occurred to me how much harder it must have been for God to give up His only begotten Son for you and me. For all of eternity, God the Father and God the Son had experienced constant fellowship, never knowing any kind of separation. But that day on Calvary, that bond was broken. I cannot imagine the agony the Son of God was going through as He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34) For the first time ever, the Godhead was divided. The Trinity was severed.  All that you and me might be redeemed from the power of sin.



I heard a story a while back of a little boy that called a radio station.  He told the talk-show host that he had just gotten back from putting down one of their calves due to a broken back.  He said that as he stood there, he asked God, "Why did she have to die?  She was special!"  God replied and said, "You know, My Son was special.  But He died for a purpose."

When death takes someone or something that we love,  we can turn to God because He knows what the sting of death feels like, too.