My heart truly goes out to them. I can relate to those who have lost friends and loved ones in this terrible event. As a sophomore in high school, I lost a friend to a major car wreck. Then, as a senior, I lost another friend to a gunshot wound to the head at point blank range. Then, just last year, I lost my uncle to aggressive liver cancer. Believe me, I’ve had a host of opportunities to reflect on life — and death.
Now, once again, this recent event prompts me to ponder life and death. Sunday, I sat reflecting at this event. I realized again that none of us are guaranteed our next breath. Yet, how many of us take life for granted? What particularly strikes me about this event is that there were passengers on the fateful plane who were younger than I am.
Should I not arise every morning and thank the Lord Jesus Christ that he has given me the opportunity to see the light of another day? Every minute of life that we have is truly a gift from God because we do not know the time of our departure from this terrestrial sphere. Consider the first high school friend mentioned above.
One minute, he’s backing out of the driveway, and the next he’s unconscious and being cut out from his badly mangled car. He died in intensive care a week later. Could he have ever suspected that it was his time?
Consider my other high school friend. One minute he’s walking to the bus stop, and the next, he’s dead from a point-blank gunshot wound to the head. Why? He was wearing the wrong color of pants. Could he have ever seen it coming? Similarly, these gentlemen got onto a plane.
They were probably bummed from the loss to Colorado. Yet, did they ever dream that they would face eternity that very evening? Never. No one ever expects it. That is the way of death. It creeps upon us like a panther stalking its prey. We do not see it until it is right upon us. That is why I encourage the reader to reflect on life daily. Never take a day or an hour for granted. Every moment of life is a precious gift from God of which we as individuals are unworthy. Yet, God chooses to grant us it anyway.
I also encourage the reader to consider death on a daily basis. Yes, we should be thankful for every moment of life, but let Saturday’s event be a lesson to us. Death will one day overtake each and every one of us. These recent events have shown us that we don’t know when our times will come. That is why we need to be ready at all times.
In closing, let me share my deepest sympathies with those who were closest to the recently departed. I hope that each individual will carefully consider this column.
Savor each minute of life, and always be prepared for the inevitability of death. God bless the family and friends of these ten individuals, and God bless OSU.
Loading ...
All Articles