Pales in Comparison

I was dealing with some frustration earlier today. I decided to lie down for a nap only to be constantly annoyed by 2 dogs who wanted me to do anything but sleep. I finally drifted off, ready to be in a slumber for 2-3 hours.

Steve woke me up after receiving a phone call of a family in crisis. Out of respect for the family I will not divulge too much information but it involved a death considered tragic by human standards. They struggle to make sense of it. We struggled to make sense of it. Sometimes we just don't understand God's ways. We don't know the spiritual condition of the family, or the deceased family member for that matter. How do you console someone in that situation? Would anything really matter?

All I could say is "I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm just so sorry." And I think that's a perfectly acceptable response. Many times there is nothing else they want to hear. After my dad died I got so sick and tired of hearing "well, you know, it must have been God's plan" or "God knows best". Okay, I know those 2 statements are so true but honestly, I would have preferred they just hush up, hug me, and move on. At one point I told Steve that if one more person said anything like that, I was going to have to punch them in the head. Consequently, I try not to do that.

We prayed with them, offered to minister to them in any way they needed, and then with their blessing, made our way out the door. As we drove home I thought about how my frustration utterly pales in comparison. Matters of life and death have a tendency to do that. Oh that I would always live with that in my mind. We're not guaranteed tomorrow. What if we always made the best of each day expecting it to be our last? What if each encounter we had with another was with the idea that we might not see them again?

How would life be different?