Life Isn’t Guaranteed
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do
not know what a day may bring.
– Proverbs 27:1
Three people died yesterday morning. Three others are
hospitalized, one in critical condition. They were just living their lives,
traveling down a highway. Two vehicles hit head on and, in that instant, lives
were forever changed.
We make plans as though tomorrow is a sure thing. We collect
stuff and maneuver our lives to gain power and prestige and money. We get so
busy living the lives of our choosing that we lose sight of the most important
thing: This world isn’t our home. We won’t be here forever.
The highway was closed for a while. People were
scrambling to find alternate routes. It is a well-traveled road. The closure
was a major inconvenience. No one wanted to mention that. It seemed too ugly to
think about self when people had died.
I wonder how many people who said they would pray for
those involved, for the families and friends, for all the emergency responders,
actually did pray? Do we fully realize the impact of what happened? Do we even
care? It wasn’t someone we knew so we move on with our lives while theirs lay
shattered where dreams and plans once lived.
Priorities shift when your life implodes. You either
draw closer to Jesus or you slide down a steep slope with the devil. It’s
impossible to go through trauma without it changing the core of who you are.
Some people become furious at God. We expect His
protection over our own lives and the lives of those we care about. We believe
somewhere deep inside that we are immune from such happenings. We’re good
people, good Christians. It’s not supposed to happen to us. Until it does.
None of us are immune to tragedy. We live in a fallen
world where people make bad choices. We live in a darkness that clouds the
vision of people who believe they can see when they can’t. Sometimes God protects
us. Most of the time He stays clear, allowing us and others to make choices
that sometimes bring great heartache.
Illness, disease, unhealthy lifestyles were never part
of God’s plan. Adam and Eve sent us all on a path of destruction. For those of
us who believe in the resurrected Christ, there is hope. There is eternal life
with Him. There is a place with no more tears. But we aren’t there yet. We’re
still traveling through a broken world.
God is with us. He promised to never leave us or
forsake us. He promised to bring good from every bad thing if we will just turn
it over to Him. We can lean on His strength or we can face the struggle alone.
One way leads to healing and the other to destruction. It’s our choice.
I don’t know if those involved in that wreck knew
Jesus. I hope so. Life is short and uncertain. Don’t wait to dedicate your life
to Him. Don’t wait to look toward home and live accordingly. We make lots of
plans but the truth is we don’t know how long we’ll be here. Live your life
fully, placing Christ at the center of it all. Be ready when He calls you home.
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