This Fragile Life

I was reminded this past week about the fragility of life. We see this daily in the liver community - babies, children and even teenagers, battling for their lives when their liver fails or as they await a transplant. But this reminder hit even closer to home than liver disease.

A coach from our kids’ school passed away. He was my age or younger (early 40s). One week there was nothing wrong with him. Three weeks later after an infection, kidney dialysis and surgery, he was gone….leaving behind his wife of 17+ years…and his two high school-aged kids.

And the question you know is coming began popping up all over the place: why?

Why is someone so loved, so admired and so important to those around him taken so young and so suddenly. It’s impossible to provide a satisfactory answer to that question, especially for those most impacted by his loss.

Our lives will go on because it wasn’t our husband, father or brother that died. But for his family there will be an emptiness that will be difficult to even explain to others. No graduation celebration with his children. No more anniversaries with his wife. No more laughs with his friends.

This is an inconceivable pain to me. I have four children and an incredible wife. I can't begin to imagine leaving them - to never see my children grow up or get married or have their own children; to not be able to share countless priceless moments with my wife as we grow old together. 

For those of us who believe in Jesus, there is great comfort in the fact this man is now home with the Lord, pain free…forever. We thank God for that and we praise Him for a life well lived. It's not goodbye, just farewell for now. 

But the emptiness remains. And the bitter reminder that no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise, this life is temporal. Truly, no man knows his time.

Live your life well. Every day counts. Every moment matters.