The news came through last week. The vivacious, irrepressible, beautiful, talented girl, now 20 years old, who has been fighting cancer for nearly five years, was told by her oncologist that there was no further treatment that he could offer. The fight has been vigorous,but the cancer has been virulent. The doctor expects that there will be only a few more weeks of her life. I baptized Samantha when I was her family's pastor in Virginia Beach. I called Sam's mother to say that I had received the news. She said, "This really sucks."

That's precisely where God is. With us. Where things really suck.