“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
(Ecclesiastes 3: 2,4, NIV)
My heart is hurting. FaithWire News has reported that a young man named Dalton Cotrell, only 22 years old, passed away on his honeymoon. He died by drowning after being caught up in the waves of Crescent Beach, in Saint Augustine, Florida. He left behind his wife, Cheyenne Cotrell, now a young widow. “3 days of wedded bliss turned into a nightmare,” Cheyenne Cotrell wrote on Facebook on July 31st, according to FaithWire. “Never did I think at 22 would I be a wife and then a widow so quickly. Please pray for I and all families as we grief.”
I cannot imagine losing the love of your life, especially during a time that is supposed to be filled with life and joy.
My heart aches for this couple, but I am gladdened to know that Dalton Cotrell was saved—and therefore, his precious wife will one day see him in heaven.
At the same time, it causes me to look around myself at my own relationships, and to really cherish and value the time I have spent, am spending, and will spend with them. Tomorrow is certainly not guaranteed for anyone; it makes me ask the question: “Am I loving Jesus and people with reckless abandon? Or am I letting fear and complacency keep me from truly living?”
Guys, may we never take the people in our lives for granted. Jesus has placed them there, and He died for each and every one of them. As we pray for Cheyenne and Dalton’s family and friends, let’s re-look at our lives, and make loving Jesus and others top priority. Life is too short to do anything less.
Do you know Jesus?
“…Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1b, NIV)
We love because Jesus Loved us first (1 John 4:19). Learn more about Jesus, His amazing Love, and how He proved His Love for us all, here.
Please pray for (find the prayer sheet for this post here)…
- The Cotrell family. Please pray for Cheyenne, as she now must navigate being a widow so soon.
- The people around you. May we never take those in our lives for granted.
- Leah Sharibu, and the Chibok girls—both the ones in captivity and the ones who are free.
Thank you for your prayers.
ISAIAH 62 PRAYER MINISTRY 