Timing is Everything

Two years ago I lost a little buddy of mine, he was only 12 years old. It happened in house fire, luckily he wasn't burned, he passed away from the smoke. I really struggled with his passing. Why would God take someone so young? Why would you put this family through a tragedy after having lost their mother a year earlier and their dad in this accident? I thought you were a God of good? I struggled with why, why, why, when I was failing at noticing that the answers were right in front of me. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 reads, "Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." Instead of asking God why, why, why, He says, as a christian you need to believe that they are in heaven. My little buddy was not one to miss church. No matter how cold it was outside or how hard it was raining, he was always there. As a reminder for myself, I have written the name Coleman next to this verse to always remember that he is where God wanted him.

Today God decided it was Taylor's time to go. I met Taylor 2 months after I graduated high school and we became friends right away. Her and I both loved to laugh and would do anything to get the other rolling on the floor laughing. Between roaring for all of downtown Minneapolis to hear to her farting so loud and long that I was dying, she became very important in my life. Even though she couldn't smell her farts, she took much pride in making others smell it. After about 6 months I decided to move, this move however didn't cause us to drift. We had many Skype talks and many texting conversations over the past two years. Less than 3 months ago I met up with her at the Caribou Coffee she worked at and she made my whole family our coffees. We greeted each other with a hug and said our "See you laters" with a hug. However, this would be the last earthly hug I would receive. At the age of two she was to fix four of the arteries in her heart. Well. because of no health insurance she didn't go in for six years. This caused her heart to stop and put her into a cardiac arrest just five days ago. After many tests and longs days of waiting, God decided that today was her day to meet him. Psalm 23:4 says, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Taylor knew that God was with her all the time. She wasn't afraid to listen to what God was telling her. In a few short weeks, Taylor was planning on moving to Louisiana, but God had other plans for her. God was planning to take her to his ultimate destination. I can only imagine the joy on Taylor's face as she met her Creator. I am so proud and blessed to have gotten to know Taylor over these past few years. God has Taylor exactly where he wants her.

Sudden deaths are a struggle for everyone. I watched a video once and it was showing a group of people walking down the street. Each person had a clock above their head and it was counting down. Some people had years on their clock, others had minutes. Don't abuse the time on your clock. Are you wasting the time on your clock? Are you doing what God wants you to be doing or are you doing your own thing? If God decided this was your time to go, would you be happy with the life you have lived?