R.I.P.

Strange. Life, that is.

Today a young friend died in a car accident.

He was 21.

I just saw him on Sunday at church.

I'm not really sure what emotions I'm feeling. Kind of a numbness, a shock, a sense of this is not real. See a parent shouldn't have to outlive their child, yet this is what this mom is now doing. He was a believer in Christ, so his fate was not a terrible one, see he, like all of us, are just visiting this planet. He had made a choice for Christ so now he rests in his real home, in heaven. That still doesn't change things for us here on earth. My hearts cries for his mother, his father, his siblings.

I think of my own children. As parents we want the best for our kids, we want to protect them from sadness, from harm, from death; but is that our job? Is that really something we have control over? I don't even want to answer those questions because ultimately God has our days counted, He has my children's days counted just like He had this young man's days counted.

Today I will enjoy my children. I will be thankful that I have them on loan for these short 18 years under my roof. I will laugh with them, I will cry with them, I will feed them and feed them and feed them. I'll listen to the silly jokes I don't get and I'll watch the TV show I don't care for. I'll videotape their silly movies and hug them. Yes, I'll hug them lots, and kisses, who can forget the kisses. I'll enjoy today with them, I'll enjoy this minute because it's where we're at, it's what we have.

So my heart goes out to this young man's family, to his friends, and he had many. He was a young man a mother could be proud of. He was a US Marine, he was kind, he was polite, he approached people with love and a caring spirit, he was a brother in Christ. I had the opportunity to watch him grow up from a scraggly teenager to a young man. Perfect, no, but a wonderful creation of God. His presence will surely be missed.

So to Matt I say goodbye.

Goodbye for now- see you in heaven.

Do you know if you were to die today if you'd go to heaven?
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