The Brevity of Life

With the news of Josh's illness and then his death, I have spent many moments in PRAYer, in tears, and in thought. Knowing of the death of a child that you know and you know has struggled.... really has caused me to "pause" (as much as life can pause) and reflect.

First, I have been reminded to pray over and over throughout the last few days for this sweet family. They are doing well and have a great network of support with family and friends. But when the busyness of funerals and visiting family/friends is over they will need time to reflect, remember and grieve.

Second, I am reminded of the brevity of life!! Here was a 5 yr old little boy who teachers thought looked fine on Tuesday. None of us is guaranteed any amount of time!! We need to be thankful for each moment and be ready to face eternity at any time.

Are we thankful? Even in the midst of the minor challenges of life... the fussy kids, the housework, the extra tasks of preparing for Christmas, lost coupons.... do these inconveniences cause us to not be grateful for ALL we are blessed with, yes, even the stinky bottoms (found at my house)? And are we settled in our faith and secure in our eternal destiny? Do we know Christ and rest in the Lord's promises from the Bible?

Third, I am reminded of the short amount of time we have with our children.... our moments with them are not guaranteed either. I have really started to look at my time to see if I am giving the "best" of me to my children. And whether, I am being faithful to the task of mothering them and guiding them to know the Lord!!! Do I let the mundane tasks get in the way? Or am I distracted?

Even though the time I have known Josh has been very short, his sickness and now death has been a constant reminder of how fragile and brief life can be. And to live life it to the fullest!! I am reminded of his 5th birthday party and all the kids running around playing.... and Josh and his brother climbing up into the tree (yes, an actual tree) fort that their Dad made them. All of us moms on the ground watching all of our monkeys follow the pair and stand there with our arms ready to catch anyone... LOL!! You would have never known Josh was as fragile as he was just by looking at him.

At an Awana meeting before Thanksgiving, the teacher asked the kids if anyone had any prayer requests. Anna told me this week that Josh raised his hand and said, "Pray for me because I am very sick." Anna kind of chuckled when she told me and responded, "Mommy, that was silly because he doesn't look sick at all." But now we can look back and see the simple child-like faith and knowledge this sweet little boy had.

Please, Continue to pray for this family. Visitation is tonight and services are tomorrow.