Life is Fragile

"My life is but a breath" Job once said in the Bible. Man, did that ever come clear to me this week. On Monday, President's Day, I had the pleasure of stepping outside on the first day that seemed to finally be breaking us out of our artic freeze down here in Dayton. I saw Chris and Katherine playing out in the snow and ice, playing in the trees and having a good time. That evening, I received word that Pastor Phil was not going to be at a meeting we had scheduled because he had to make an emergency visit at the hospital. Long story short, in a neighborhood just a few blocks from me, another boy, nine year old Joey Sharpe had been playing out and climbing around trees in his yard too. Apparently he slipped and the hood of his sweatshirt caught on a branch above him, and his mother found him hanging in the tree dead. His neighbor, a good friend of ours and member at our church ran out to try to give CPR, but it was too late.

It has never been more clear to me that we spend so much time in life assuming that those whom we love, those who are closest to us are always going to be there. But life is but a breath. Why don't we keep this in mind? Why don't we live, and love, and forgive, knowing that each day is a gift from God? This is one dad who is committed to giving more grace, more love, more forgiveness and time to each kid. My kids were playing in a tree and lived. What if it had been them? I shudder at the thought. I had been irritable with them on Monday, wishing they'd leave me alone and go outside and play for a while.

Today is Friday. My kids are buzzing around here excited about our trip tomorrow to the COSI museum in Columbus. I just got home from the funeral for Joey, which we did at Emmanuel. Joey's body is in the ground. I can't imagine.

Don't get bogged down in the small details. Wake up, live, love, and above all forgive. Tragedy may serve many purposes in God's eyes, but one of them is the call to wake up and keep an eternal perspective in the every day mundane aspects of life.

God bless.