I once had Missy described to me as a triple threat - beautiful, talented, and intelligent. It was an assessment that I could not argue with and it really didn't bother me too much that the author of that assessment was her father, Steve. As my wife, Debbie, and I thought about Missy's life and how important she had been to us and our family we thought about a whole host of things that fit into those categories in terms of Missy's beauty, talent, and intelligence.

But as we talked there was one thing that we struck upon that seemed to be beneath all that - her quiet confidence. Missy was someone who was incredibly resilient and very strong. Missy was able to do things that a lot of us wouldn't even attempt. We talked about the reasons for that being the case and thought about the fact that she was very focused on the Lord and on her family. And we realized that she had a faith that carried her through things that a lot of adults would even struggle with. And this faith that Missy had came from her personal relationship with Jesus Christ and her knowledge of Him. This faith gave Missy her quiet confidence.

When Steve and Wanda were going through some of Missy's personal effects this weekend after the accident they came across her sheet music. This was certainly something Missy loved more than anything else. In the sheet music they found a life plan. This was something she had put together at The King's Academy as a class assignment a couple of years ago. This plan really struck me about what Missy thought was important. It was a plan for Missy's life: She wanted to finish high school, graduate from college, get married, have children, be a grandmother, and die at age 90. But life doesn't always work out the way that we think it is going to and that doesn't diminish the significance of Missy's life or the way she led it.

She had a confidence as I mentioned: In Romans 8:28 it says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." It is important to remember that God doesn't promise that things like this won't happen and He doesn't promise that we won't suffer and grieve because of them. But it is important to note that He promises us that in the long run things will work for the best according to His good.

Missy knew that and she was confident of that. I pondered why someone as young as Missy could be so confident and came across a verse in 2 Corinthians that says, "We live by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." That is where Missy is today. She is not in her body. She is with the Lord.

Jesus said in John 14: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Missy was a very special young woman to us. And she was a triple threat: She was quiet, she was confident, and she loved the Lord. I am confident that Missy is in Heaven today and that she is more alive than she has ever been before. That is the way that my family and I are going to remember Missy.