------Yesterday a beautiful 14-year old girl that used to be in our youth group at church died of an allergic reaction to iodine during a minor routine surgery. It has hit her family and young friends especially hard, and for good reason. For many of her friends this will be their first time dealing with death. For her family, how can one ever prepare to lose a child so young if given time to prepare... and with no warning? For hubby and I, it forced us to reflect on life. In the case of what seems like such a ridiculous and unexpected loss, it made me immediately fear that something like that could happen to someone I love dearly. Hubby reminded me that we can't focus on the possible pain and hurt of life. It would make us want to dig a hole, jump in, and "protect" ourselves from heartache for the remainder of life. The pain and hurt are inevitable, and we can't live life fearfully peeking around each corner to see if it they are coming. A tragic thing such as this should cause us to reflect on our own lives. We are not promised a single day in this life. Even today- we don't own the hours ahead. All we can do is live a life of purpose and think on how we want to be remembered and how we want to impact others while we have the chance, then live towards those thoughts. I am blessed that there is purpose to this life and I can hope in seeing this sweet girl's face again. I am blessed that life is not only pain, but is also full of happiness and joy and love- such things that this girl brought to many lives.
Something to think about today: What is your purpose? Are you living purposefully?
