Day 9, August 17, 2011
At work today, I found out that I did know someone directly affected by the Indianapolis State fair stage collapse. The head nurse where I work was directly in the path of the falling stage along with her family and close friends. When they noticed the entire structure bouncing and swaying they made a run for it and my friend at work was actually knocked down and received some bruises and scratches from the falling structure. In the chaos they tried to find everyone from their group and they could not find my coworker’s childhood best friend. They went to Methodist hospital to see if her friend was there and found out that she had been hit in the head by the stage and had a crushed skull, broken shoulder, and three broken vertebrates. After hearing this story upon asking why my coworker where why she had not been at work all week the reality of the stage collapse really hit home. My coworker was just a few steps away from being crushed and killed by the stage and she has two little girls at home and a husband.
Our lives are so fragile folks. We don’t like to think about it and let that reality sink in but inevitably someone close to you dies or is injured and this truth becomes all to real. I have had a close call of a loved one in my life and I know the terror and helplessness that is involved. We must be so careful to be sure that each person who means something in our life knows that we love him or her. None of us know the time or the place we will be taken home. I know this is not a pleasant topic but it is so important that we always share our love and feelings with others around us. One of the songs I play on the guitar is by Garth Brooks and it is called If Tomorrow Never Comes. The second verse and chorus really drive home the necessity of letting others know how you feel:
'Cause I've lost loved ones in my life
Who never knew how much I loved them
Now I live with the regret
That my true feelings for them never were revealed
So I made a promise to myself
To say each day how much she means to me
And avoid that circumstance
Where there's no second chance to tell her how I feel
If tomorrow never comes
Will she know how much I loved her
Did I try in every way to show her every day
That she's my only one
And if my time on earth were through
And she must face this world without me
Is the love I gave her in the past
Gonna be enough to last
If tomorrow never comes
In my own marriage I work hard to consistently show my wife that I love her. I also try and let my family and friends know I love them too. They are all very near and dear to me. I thank God for each of them.
My day ultimately ended in joy as I got to spend time with my youth group. Tonight we gave them a Jesus quiz and a George Barna survey. It was so awesome to see them passionately searching in their Bibles to find the answers to the quiz. They all did a wonderful job in answering the questions and at the same time they helped us to see where we could help to teach them more about who Jesus is. The Barna survey also helped us to gauge their thoughts on other critical theological beliefs within the Bible. We really had a great night as we played and rocked out to Christian music while they did the quiz and survey and afterward we had a great time of sharing.
My night ended on a happy note as my wife and I found peace in an area of our lives that we had been seeking direction. It is so wonderful to let, as Carrie Underwood would put it, Jesus take the wheel. There is such a freedom to trusting in his timing and direction instead of worrying about our own. The best times in marriage are found when you rely completely on our Lord’s direction. We are very blessed and thankful for all he is doing in our lives each day.
I hope the Lord will bless you in a new and special way today and that you will tell those loved ones around you all they truly mean to you. Life is such a precious thing and it is so important that we don’t forget this. Also, each day remember that life is only found in Jesus, the Vine. In remembering this, please share this truth with as many people as you can each day that we may all meet and raise our hands in joy and worship Jesus Christ the risen king for eternity. If any of you reading this do not know Jesus today. Please write me or check out this link for www.needhim.org. I would love to share Him with you and help you to know Him in anyway I can.
Blessings,
Greg
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