Upon the announcement of Heath Ledgers death this afternoon questions raced through my mind. Did he know Jesus? Did he commit suicide? Was anyone there? Could someone have stopped this? These and more will probably go unanswered. I can't help but think that one event, one person, one action could have changed everything. Then I think the same thing about myself and the people I know. "Life is fragile, handle with prayer" while old is true. What we say to people can make a difference. Our attitude and action towards them can heal or destroy - depending on what we want to do.
When I was a senior in college, a young man whom I had known for 4 years committed suicide. Days before graduation he drove off and never came back. Honestly, he was one of the funniest people that I ever knew. But he couldn't take the thought of leaving his friends and going back home, where he was considered an outcast reject. Upon graduation day, all of us were excited and overjoyed that 4 years of hard work had finally paid off. While sitting - waiting for my name to be called forward, it dawned on me. I was sitting in his seat. His last name started with a "J". For a few minutes I tuned everything out as I asked the unanswerable questions. Could I have made a difference? Is there something that I could have done? I don't know.
Jesus came to this earth with answers and He still does. Sometimes though He answers my questions the same way I answer my daughters. When she asks something that I know is going to cause undue distress upon her, I do the best I can to protect her from the harsh reality of the answer. She will have plenty of time to deal with these issues when she gets older. Jesus loves us so much that He protects us. If we can love each other that much, then we can help protect each other too. Then questions don't have to go unanswered.
When I was a senior in college, a young man whom I had known for 4 years committed suicide. Days before graduation he drove off and never came back. Honestly, he was one of the funniest people that I ever knew. But he couldn't take the thought of leaving his friends and going back home, where he was considered an outcast reject. Upon graduation day, all of us were excited and overjoyed that 4 years of hard work had finally paid off. While sitting - waiting for my name to be called forward, it dawned on me. I was sitting in his seat. His last name started with a "J". For a few minutes I tuned everything out as I asked the unanswerable questions. Could I have made a difference? Is there something that I could have done? I don't know.
Jesus came to this earth with answers and He still does. Sometimes though He answers my questions the same way I answer my daughters. When she asks something that I know is going to cause undue distress upon her, I do the best I can to protect her from the harsh reality of the answer. She will have plenty of time to deal with these issues when she gets older. Jesus loves us so much that He protects us. If we can love each other that much, then we can help protect each other too. Then questions don't have to go unanswered.
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