I Saw Love

I’ve been struggling with how I wanted to write about this. With whether I wanted to write about it at all.

We lost a co-worker last week.

He was twenty-five years old.

It’s not my place to speculate or pontificate on why God allows such unthinkable tragedies. As though I could begin to understand the mind of God. It is my place to trust in His sovereignty and goodness. Even when it’s painful.

Our hearts were broken last week. The tragedy reached far and wide across the company. The young man had multiple family members who worked in multiple of our stores. We’ve all crossed paths over the years. Together, we’ve celebrated holidays and promotions. We’ve punched time clocks side by side. We’ve shared the ups and downs of our work world. Last week when that world shattered, I did not see coworkers fulfilling work obligations. I saw love.

In trying to piece together the events of that awful night, I heard accounts:

Of a coworker administering CPR, desperate to save his brother’s life

Of a store manager rushing to a house to remove a little girl from the chaos that had erupted

Of another store manager, rushing to the same house, to do whatever she could

Of a young wife racing against time to the ER, arriving too late to say goodbye, and collapsing into the arms of yet another coworker.

Last week I saw tears and hugs, notes written in cards, money tucked in envelopes. I saw people working extra shifts to cover the stores during the funeral. I saw coworkers from the past coming forward to offer support.

We lost a wonderful young man last week. And in the midst of it all, I did not see coworkers fulfilling a work obligation. I saw a family stepping up when it mattered most. I saw the very heart of Jesus. I saw love.