The Pain of Death (11/9/2009)

This past weekend, a friend of mine experienced a great tragedy when his 15 month old daughter was run over and killed by a dump truck driven by his friend. As I was up late Saturday night mulling this event over in my mind, I thought what I could say to Gary that could somehow ease such a sudden blow. It is easy being removed one step from the situation to say that everything will work out fine, and that he and his wife will have the chance to see their daughter again one day, but I don't know how much that helps someone who is actually suffering at that moment.

While I was thinking along those lines, it occurred to me that as tragic as this death was, there is a worse kind of death that we can suffer. Gary and Amber know that they will be able to see their daughter again one day, and that hope has helped see them through this ordeal. Our Father in Heaven, however, risks the chance of losing us to death as well, but the spiritual death that we experience means that we might be lost to Him forever.

I think that many play near spiritual dump trucks without ever realizing the danger that they pose. Whether those are things like drugs, alcohol, pornography, or whatever, they might seem like an interesting and even fun place to play, but unfortunately there will come a time when that dump truck moves and can crush the individuals around it. Perhaps this is why the prophets counsel us to stay as far away from sin as we can.

As deep as our love is for our children, and as much as a loss like the one suffered by my friends must hurt, I can only imagine how much more our Father hurts when one of His children that he loves with a perfect love is lost. I hope that I can live my life in such a way that my Father in Heaven will not have to hurt on my account.