"If I Die Young"

You may or not be familiar with the song title I have selected to be my title for this post. That's okay. The song is "If I Die Young" by the Band Perry. Personally, I love this song  but something happened the other day that makes me think much more deeply about young death (as it is portrayed in the song, and in real "life").
When was the last time you felt deeply about death? When was the last time you ALLOWED yourself to feeeeel about the subject of death? I know for myself, that I try to keep those feeling at bay. I try to keep them from coming into the "ports" of my mind because they are unpleasant, I don't understand it, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it, and that death is much too...weighty a matters to think about for too long. But sometimes it is necessary to take honest evaluation of ourselves and see what we are actually living for. 


I didn't know him personally, and I don't even know exactly how old he was, but he was in between the ages of 14 and 16 years old. Yesterday he was alive. Today this young boy is a memory in the minds and a hole in the hearts of his family and friends. He, this person that I never even knew..is gone. Gone. This boy with just as much value as myself, just as in need of a Savior as me...today he's gone. His death was sudden and completely unexpected, and his ended life leaves a gap in many people's hearts. Not to take anything away from him, but that could easily be you or me. I feel like I have so much to say on this, but when it comes down to it, my heart simply aches for his lost life. Why does it take a lost life to show me that how we are running out of time in this life to show the absolute wonders of a God who defeated death to people headed straight for it..?  Why does it take a death to make me realize the value of a life?  :(


Now, concerning death, we can't press the "panic" button, because God is ultimately in control and he plans good for us not destruction. But we can't be careless and satisfied either!  I wonder now how many times I walk through a store and show God's love in nothing that I do for other people. But then they might leave the store, get hit by a car and die -never having seen in me the Love that Christ has for them... You might be thinking "That's just morbid. cut it out." But morbid or not, it could be true. And as uncomfortable a thing sudden death is to think about, it IS a possibility. Can you deny that? What if the electric impulse from your brain didn't reach your heart two seconds from now? (Haha. You just waited two seconds to see if you were still alive. Admit it.) But no really. Like I said, God is in control. He has his eyes and his hand on you whether you like that idea or not. But each breath and heartbeat you have is a GIFT from Him.


Don't waste your life!


Our lives are a vanishing mist, and there is no promise of a tomorrow. So why do we live like we are immortal? It is true that we will have eternity (Heaven or hell. Take your pick.). But what about the time that is given to us NOW? 


I pray that God shows us how utterly dependent we are on Him, and how terribly gracious He is to us every day in every way. May that motivate us to live for what is most worthy. WHO is most worthy. The most high God. May we trust Him.
 You, God, know the number of my days. Don't let me waste them.