Sooo, it's too far gone to go back and write about very many particulars that have happened since the last time you heard from me. So, I'll just summarize my current thoughts. So here it goes...
Early this morning one of Justin's friends from his high school years was killed in a car accident. She and some other folks were sitting in their car at a red light and were hit from behind by a drunk driver. Everyone else in the car was okay, but the one girl he knew died instantly. He knew her through the Olive Youth group and even though they were never extremely close, they kind of grew up together, even went on a date or two. I definitely didn't know her but I had heard him talk about her in the past, not to mention some of my friends from Tate who knew her. Anyway, all this to say, I'm affected. After the shooting at VT, the blue angel pilot (whose father was present to see him crash and die), the crazy guy at NASA who took the life of himself and another person, and now this...
Senseless, pointless, un-neccessary...but it is the way of the world. None of us are promised tomorrow. God felt the need to spell that out in the Bible (James 4:14 just to list one place he mentions it). I think he allows all of these things to happen to remind us that Satan roams this earth, stealing, killing, and destroying. Just this little glimpse of pain and hell, one would think might spark a fire in our hearts. Oh and it does, for a day or two, then we settle comfortably into our complacent lives and block out the idea that it could happen to us, or worse, the ones we love.
Not that I should sulk and sour over these tragedies...I should remember the victims, thank God for the fact that he created those precious people (remember, he took the precise time to handcraft them each one by one, I can't let myself forget that he cared about them even more than their very parents), and thank him for letting them be a sweet part of our lives as he did. But honestly, the one thing I got most from this, gratitude. How many ways are there for something tragic to happen to someone I love? Each of them jump in their car each day (potential for danger), some of them fight over sees (Ashley, pastor talked specifically about Lando this morning), some of them do manual labor, and some just sit in their classes all day...yet there are millions of ways that innocent people are wounded, hurt and killed. Yet my whole entire life (24 years of it now) I have yet to be in direct connection. First praise: I am still living after cheerleading stunts (thrown in the air by middle school and high school girls...scary), softballs flying at my head at high speeds, basketballs, being the horrible driver that I am (and still applying make-up while doing it), working at my school everyday...all of these are ways that my life could have been injured or even taken! yet I live! PTL. It's hard to think to praise God for these seemingly normal things, it's hard to remember to praise him because I didn't face tragedy today...but I am now going to try. And although I think it is truly amazing that he has kept me safe so far in my journey, I find it even more amazing that out of all the siblings, mom and dad, husband, neices and nephews, in-laws and wonderful friends I have...he has his arms of love and protection thus far wrapped around them each. I have been so sheltered from this kind of pain. And I never want to see it in my lifetime. But, if I do, I want the first word on my lips to be "Blessed be the name of the Lord, he gives and takes away". I hope I don't forget. I hope I don't fall back into my normal routine of taking him and his precious gift of life for granted.
Those have been my rambling thoughts for just this one day. I hope anyone that reads them leaves me a comment about what you are thankful for, so that I can be thankful with you. But mostly, take the time we often fill with other things...and thank God for those precious gifts in your life. I think it truly breaks his heart that he must bring us to the place of loss before we lift him up in praise for what we already have.
I'm thankful for you. Whoever you are reading this. You've no doubt bettered my life in some way. PTL!
4 comments:
Who was this girl?? All of this is so sad... it's so hard to comprehend. The Blue Angel thing just breaks my heart.
Wow...when I heard about the car accident it definitely made me very sad even though I hardly knew her (we worked together very briefly at Sonny's), but I think it upset me so much because all I could think about was that one moment she was a happy girl with everything going for her and then the next moment she was gone. It made me realize that I too don't appreciate everything that I have been given (family, friends, etc...)and I need to make more of an effort of being thankful. All of this definitely makes me want to tell Rhett I love him every time I see him now...
Im thankful for you. Im thankful for the friendship we have had the last 6 YEARS of our little lives, and all the memories we have shared!! I was thinking about all the things we used to do in Tallahassee the other day, and I was thinking how incredibly blessed I have been to have conversations at 18 about waiting for Gods perfect timing, or what Heaven will be like, or our hearts for people. Jill and I were talking this weekend of that freshman year and how we LOVED the song-did you feel the mountains tremble...and we would WAIT for "OPEN UP THE DOORS" and we would be jumping on the bed and singing our hearts out...right about then the mean lady would come down, or the cops might show up at our door--hahaha!! Really God blessed us so much with Christian friends at such important times in our lives to love and uplift us!! So, Im thankful for you and that we are eternal friends that will be saying-"open up the doors" and jumping around being silly in our mansions next door to eachother in Heaven!! I Love you!
This week has definitely made me more aware of how precious life is! James and I have held tight to one another and I have found myself calling my brothers just to hear their voices and thinking Nate can't pick up the phone and just call Jo. Mr. Randy was a true blessing and ROCK this week, at the funeral he looked at me and said, "I'm heart-broken and frustrated, but I have to move on because more now than ever I have a Kingdom to tear down and it's not God's" It is truly amazing to me that just 4 days after his baby girl was taken from him he can say Praise God because of the loss of my daughter people will come to Christ. It was one of the hardest funerals I have ever attended. We expect death coming with grandparents, and one day parents, but never someone like this. From Mr. Randy and Mrs. Penny, to Nate, to her soon to be Fiance' Chris, God has a plan and he will use this to build each of them up stronger than what they already are. Chris will never take advantage of life after losing the one girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, HE will only cherish it more and respect his future bride even more than he did Jo. I agree when you say we should let people know how Thankful you are for them, and I am more thankful this week than I was last week. Even to the people I have not yet met who will make even the smallest impact in my life! I love you, Wonderful and Handsome! Life is way to short sometimes, but no matter what.. you are both cherished in my life! xoxo
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