Two weeks ago, as we watched the news, a story came on about a Kalispell man who died in a motorcycle accident in Idaho. When the name was given, Tracy shot up in his chair and I gasped. It was a young man we had known since he was born. He was 31, only a few months younger than our youngest son. Jeremy and Tracy grew up together. He was the only childhood friend Tracy was still in touch with. You know, but you're never prepared. It's not always a stranger on the news. The drowning, the accident, even the crime. I have long realized that those reports that last 30 seconds on the news last a lifetime for those left behind. I pray for them. The family members grieving a loss--of a home, a loved one, a reputation.
Life is tenuous, it can end in the blink of an eye. The Bible compares our lifespan to a vapor. But the Bible also says our days are numbered--in a good way. The God who made us, determined the length of our life before we were ever born. Jeremy died young. He died unexpectedly. But he did not die early.
I have to admit, I was a little hesitant to watch the news the following day, though the odds of personally knowing someone on the news a second night were infinitesimally small. But a barrier had been breached, the one between what your head knows and what it is prepared for. We know, but we do not believe, that the tragedies we see on the news will not always be about a stranger.
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