Josiah Road

The Fragile Life

posted by Sarah Gallagher 9Dec

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. James 4:14

I remember exactly where I was standing when I got the call. “Do you remember Alan?” my sister asked. “He died.” Shocked, I managed a loud “What?!?” into the phone as my emotions swirled within me and I tried to collect my thoughts. I could not focus on the task ahead of me at work and instead made a few phone calls to my friends to confirm and mourn the news. Alan had graduated one year before me – he was known for his quick wit, brilliant humor, and enjoyable personality. He was so alive to everyone who knew him. Anyone who ever talked to Alan was his friend. He was unique in this way. And here was I, one week after a trip in which my friends and I laughed as we reminisced about days in class with Alan, and I was receiving details on his funeral arrangements. He died in a brutal car accident – crashing through the brick wall of a church and into the sanctuary where he died. His funeral was probably the hardest and most depressing sight I have ever witnessed. So many young people were hurting, crying, and breaking as they struggled to cope with the death of their long-time friend. And the worst part for me was that Alan died an unbeliever. And the many friends around were also non-believers. I ached for them. I continue to ache. And through this I was taught the urgency of saving souls as we are called to do.

Last week I received word that a freshman at my school died in the hospital. He was in a car accident and died a couple days later as his body could not cope with the trauma of the crash. The joy lies in the fact that he was a believer and so hope and life followed him even when his body perished. But it was so sudden and left me asking the question of why once more.

Seeing young people – students my own age and peers I go to school with – die so suddenly is very sobering to me. These two instances have taught me how fragile life is and how unpredictable each moment. We are not guaranteed more days on this earth. We could be taken from this world at any moment. Yet we hold a truth so powerful that even death cannot destroy us. God is the Savior of the World, the Ruler of our lives, and the Keeper of our hearts. He redeems us from the sin we are steeped in and offers us hope eternally so that even in physical death we may have spiritual life. And while we may be saved eternally because our hope is in Christ, our peers may not share that same hope.

We are called to witness to those around us. Called to live a life that emulates Christ and share the Gospel of Christ to bring hope and life to those without hope. This is no small task but it is a rewarding responsibility. It is imperative that we as Christians seek to tell others about Christ and the hope that we have in Him when we give our lives to Him. Our lives on this earth are fragile and without guarantee, but our spirits can be everlasting if we place our hope in the One who saves.

“Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave…You have made known to me the path of life.” Psalm 16:9-11