1) It is still possible for an entire plane full of people to disappear.
2) Another small town has lost an elite athlete to an enlarged heart, much like what happened in Fennville.
3) No matter how old you are, when a child gives you a plate of plastic food you will pretend like you are eating it.
I've been watching the news and receiving the updates about the Malaysian flight that vanished last night. It is hard to imagine that something as important as a plane with over 227 people on it could just disappear. With all of our cameras and satellites its a wonder that any part of this earth is not in view at all times. As the time passes it becomes more clear that this plane went down in the ocean, a tragedy of huge proportion. These were people of many different nationalities, and two were only infants. How very sad for all lost, and it seems even worse for these two tiny children whose future will remain a mystery.
At the same time another community in Michigan mourns the death of an amazing athlete and young man, who died in his sleep from an enlarged heart. This is the same condition that caused the death of Wes Leonard, the young man who died following a basketball game, changing the lives of many in my small hometown, Fennville. Without symptoms an enlarged heart can go undetected, this young man died in his sleep. He had already been accepted to Westpoint and had maintained a 4.0 gpa. A child anyone would have been proud of, a young man his community loved and supported.
This afternoon I attended my niece's 2nd birthday party. She's changed so much in the last year, but will always be the most awesome kid around (yes, I am biased.) She is so cute that I find myself just staring at her, listening to her new words, wanting to cheer her on as she learns to color and shoot baskets. She is such a gift to us, an unexpected gift for which we are all so grateful. She teaches me to slow down a bit and enjoy the simple things, like cooking up plastic meals in her little kitchen or the absolute joy that comes from throwing a ball and catching it.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus talks about the importance of these young ones:
18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
It is just like adults to wonder, "Who is the greatest?" It seems we get caught up in ranking one another, categorizing people, putting them in their right places/priorities. Not only do we want to know who the greatest is, we want it to be us. We want people to recognize us for our contributions to society or our successes in this world. Here is Jesus telling the disciples that if they really want to get it, to understand what the kingdom of heaven is all about, then they need to like children.
It is clear that we never know when our time here on earth may be up. As we age I am sure this becomes a more common part of our thoughts. Children don't think like this, do they? Children think about the moment, the game they're playing, the person they are spending time with. The minutes matter, the relationships matter, life matters.
In the midst of more tragedy than we can fully grasp we can do our best to pray diligently for all experiencing the pain of such magnificent loss. We can reach out in love for our brothers and sisters in the world, while sharing our love with those close to home. And, I hope you too can grasp on to the excitement of life through the eyes of a child handing you a plate with a plastic pizza and a doughnut.
May we be open to the love of God as a child, without hesitation or reservation. As we enter into the last moments of Jesus' life on earth, may we also give thanks for the gift of eternity, allowing us to see these tragic losses as more than just the end.
Prayer: Dear God, today we have been blessed, while others in the world have suffered. We pray you will be with each of these families, offering the strength and peace that can only come from You. Help us to remember that each day is a gift full of opportunities to see You at work. Help us to set aside the boundaries and limits of "begin adults" so that we can experience the awe and wonder of the love you offer. Thank you for loving us. Amen.
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