Life and Death

I have been working with our teens on getting more serious with God and owning their faith. Today I had planned to talk to them about what they would want to be remembered for when they died. Just before I walked into the youth group, I got a phone call from another Pastor friend of ours to tell me that one of their relatives had committed suicide at age 21 and that they would be headed down to do the funeral.

This call brought such reality to the message today. My heart broke to think of this young man who, for whatever reason, didn't think life was worth living anymore. I have another friend who has a very close cousin and friend who is dying of brain cancer. In my hometown this last week, there was a young man whose girlfriend broke up with him and he was so upset that he went to her school and as she was walking into the school, he shot her 3 times and then killed himself. She survived, praise God, but that day could have been her last. These are just the people in MY life THIS WEEK! There are many others around the world who have more stories just like these to share.

Have you ever been to a funeral of someone who was really on fire for God and it was a celebration of life? Seeing how many lives have been touched by their life, you rejoice in who they were and praise the Creator and Lord of life. Reality is, we do not know how much time we have on this earth.

These thoughts make me ask:
  • What am I doing to make a difference in someone's life today?
  • Did I live every moment in worship of my Creator today?
  • How will people remember me tomorrow by the way I lived today?
  • How did I make today count?

Comments

Adirondack Explorer said…
Joy,

Wow!

I bet God used you to communicate HIs truth to your students.

Dean
March 12, 2007 at 4:54:00 AM EST
Anonymous said…
Powerful words spoken from the heart. These are questions that are very significant. I applaud you for asking them. It is a difficult life we lead; but Jesus never promised it would be. Thanks for saying these things.
March 13, 2007 at 11:37:00 AM EST
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