2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
Amidst all of the commotion and tumult that our house is in as we prepare for Meredith’s marriage, our son just received word that a friend of his was killed in a car wreck. It is never easy to hear such news. And it is doubly difficult when the person is young and the death is unexpected.
I had very few words to give to my son. I feebly reminded him that we must all be prepared for the end of our life as the duration of our lives is truly unknown. But the reality is that you are never fully prepared for the death of friends or for your own death. Yes, you may be prepared for eternity. But that is not all that we have to live for. Indeed, God designed us so that we would never know death. Our nature is to be transcendent, not entropic.
The best message I can give to my son is simple:
- Live your life fully. Don’t postpone the things you need to do until the end. Don’t be defined by a ‘bucket list’ that is read over your ashes.
- Let your life be a testament to intentionality, not caprice and chance.
- Live your life as if you must use every ounce of your essence in the service of others.
- Live so that your life will be a blazing testament to the ideals that define you. [In my case, I want my life to bring glory and honor to my Savior and Lord.]
Son, we are with you. And Jesus is with you. God will be your comfort, if you choose to place your head on His shoulder.
-Roo
