Funerals are always sobering and cause a deeper and more poignant reflection on life, death, and the significance of relationships.  The funeral that I attended on February 12^th was all of that and more.  My young friend Eddie was killed in an auto accident.  He was 19 years of age.  It was and is a tragedy.

During times like this, life is reduced to the essentials.  The question that dominates my thinking is “What really is important?”  When a life ends abruptly just short of two decades, how does one find any solace and comfort at all, let alone meaning and purpose.  But here are my essentials that keep me focused and also help me avoid despair:

1.  God is God, and I am not.
2.  God is still in control.
3.  I need to live my life knowing that I am not a permanent fixture in this world.
4.  God is the One who gives comfort.
5.  I need to constantly learn what it means to be Christ-like.
6.  The only true joy is found in loving God and loving others.

In times like these I find that my sorrow can either be a weight or a wing.  If I allow my sorrow to weigh me down to the point where I disconnect from others, then it will be a hindrance to my growth emotionally and spiritually.  But if I embrace my sorrow and allow God to use it to more deeply understand Him and those around me, then what is painful becomes a necessary tutor in my journey on this earth. 

“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.  But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep His covenant and remember to obey His precepts… Praise the Lord, O my soul.” - Psalm 103:15-18, 22

Jim

This weekend I, as many others, heard about the humanitarian group of medical doctors that were in a remote village in Afghanistan and killed by the Taliban. The team leader, Tom Little, was a both a member of the Church that my family attends in New York and a longtime friend of my parents. His wife happened to be in New York when he was killed. Just 2 days earlier she was having dinner with another family friend and suspected that something had gone terribly wrong. She had not heard from Tom in 40 hours which was right before they were headed back over the mountain from the Village to Kabul.  Her gut instinct was right. As we know, most were shot dead en route. Just a few months ago Tom had been at the Church in Loudonville, NY saying that things were getting worse and worse in Afghanistan and that their ability to give medical aid to those that need it in remote areas was becoming much more dangerous than ever. He would know; he and his family had lived there for 30 years as medical missionaries or serving as humanitarians. He and his family knew the risks.

His life no doubt will be a legacy of what he was willing to give and sacrifice for a greater cause. The calling for he and his family is unique, no doubt. But I think it is important for each one of us to think about what we are willing to sacrifice for a greater cause or greater good. The scale does not have to compare to that of the Littles in Afghanistan. Each person, each family can evaluate what that is for themselves. My prayers go out to all the family members who lost a loved one in that terrible shooting.

Melissa