For several days now I have been swinging back and forth from sadness for my friends and thankfulness for myself. Why? Because in the last six weeks, I have had four of my friends to lose their sons in terrible accidents. Two of these have left children behind. In one instance, both the son and daughter-in-law were killed, leaving a teenage son to be raised by a grandparent.
For the first one, I was sad, but thinking “I’m glad it’s not me.” For the second one, again “I’m glad it’s not me, and God is good to me.” Then I got the call about the third one. “God please be with her. Thank you, God, that it’s not me.” After receiving the news of the fourth one I was drained and almost afraid to be thanking God because I now knew how vulnerable we all are.
Each day - no, strike that - each hour - no, it has to be each minute, we are not promised the next. These young men had lived between 22 to 49 years. Yes, they had experienced many happy times and many sad times, but still by averages, they should have had many more years to experience happiness, sadness, joy, sorrow - just plain LIFE.
In each of these deaths, many people have been touched with just how quickly our lives can be changed. Many people surrounded these families during the funerals and later. It is obvious these individuals and their families have been a positive influence on others. They have been a witness of how God is there when we need Him. That is not saying they did not grieve, because they did and still do. However, through that grief they have been able to look beyond the sorrow and see God is in control and their tomorrows are in His Hands.
Each day that goes by now, I try to pray for these friends and their families and also remember to thank God for their strength and witness. I feel a little guilty thanking God that I’m not in their place, but I do pray that if I ever am that I will be able to be as strong a witness as they are.
