Once There Were Three

Mack W. Hampton

"Lord, how could You have let this happen to me?"

Have you ever said that when adversity or tragedy confronted you? The answers are often too few to satisfy most of us. Even Job did not receive the reason for his sorrows. But God does offer hope, a sure foundation for trust when it is based on God's Word. At least that's how Mack Hampton came to terms with the actions of a sovereign God.

Once There Were Three is a poignant and honest first-person account of one man's struggle with the anguish of losing a loved one. Author Hampton's true story of his daughter's death and its aftermath is "an attempt to describe such a loss and discuss that which only can fill the void-faith in Almighty God."

Hampton shares, through reflections interspersed with poetry and letters, some of his most agonizing thoughts as he struggled to see God's perspective on the events. He gives some relevant suggestions for dealing with the trauma of death. Four things from Matthew 6:33 are especially noteworthy:

1. Return to God's Word.

2. Return to God in prayer.

3. Major on majors. (First things first).

4. Return to God in His ways.