I Died This Week

On my way home from work Thursday night I had an opportunity to relive the head-on, roll-over car accident I had in May. I was nearly home when a small red car drifted into my lane as it was coming towards me. Four or five FEET into my lane. I swerved onto the shoulder and avoided that accident. That was good. Then something interesting happened.

I didn't talk much at home that night - reflecting on what could have been. That near crash effected me more than I thought it would have. My wife was concerned. So was I. Then yesterday morning on my way to work I turned on the radio and was listening to a message by Chuck Swindoll. It was entitled, "What If You Were To Die Tonight?" Can you sense an underlying theme taking shape here?

Pastor Swindoll related the story that Jesus told his disciples about Lazarus and the rich man. You can read it here:

The Rich Man and Lazarus

I found it interesting that in verse 31 Jesus said, "they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead". And that is exactly what Jesus did . . . and He was right - many did not listen to Him.

What this near-accident event did was it got me thinking. Is God trying to tell me something? Or is Satan trying to stop me from doing something? I don't know the answers to those questions. I know that I am more appreciative of life after this recent reminder. I told my wife and friends at work that I love them. But I think there is more to it than that.

If this second "vehicular encounter" WAS a message of some sort, what am I supposed to be hearing? What am I to glean from this reminder? Well, this is what I got out of it.

1. Life is precious. Treat it that way. Don't spend your life pursuing unworthy things. Life is a gift!
2. Life is fleeting. Don't waste a minute of it. If you have something to do, get after it. Time is short.
3. Life is for living. Don't spend your time wasting the very thing God has given you. Live it for Him! Return to God the same thing He gave you. Life! Give yours to Him today.
4. Life is for loving. The world needs gallons and gallons of love and each of us is a drop in that bucket. Love someone today! "Not as the world loves but as Christ loved us." - Ephesians 5

Yesterday at work I hugged as many people as I dared too. I also told them that I loved them. They may have thought I was weird or looked at me strangely but they also knew that I loved them. And maybe that's it. Maybe that's the whole point of this story. To spread the love of Jesus Christ in ALL situations and in all places. We sure could use it with all of the tragic events happening lately.

Here's a question for you. When each of us dies one day, how will we be described at our funerals?

"He was a good man. He loved his wife and was a good father to his children." Will that be it? I hope not. Let us be known as people who loved the Lord . . . with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let it be said of us that we loved our neighbor, looked after the widow and the orphan.

We can best live by dying. Sound confusing? It's not. My sinful nature died a little this week as I was reminded of life's fragile nature. May the part of us die that keeps us from closely following Jesus and let the part of us that loves others grow and flourish.

"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels - a plentiful harvest of new lives." - John 12:24

The Blessing - John Waller