It’s been a little over three weeks now since I first heard of the horrible accident. On November 14, 2010, a 19 year old, named Luke Anderson passed away in a car accident. Luke was a part of the team that I went with over spring break this year on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. There was only 10 of us on this trip, so we got to know a good bit about everyone on the trip. Luke was the kind of person that whenever you talked to him, gave him a hug, or just said hey, you could feel a compassion and genuineness about him. There were times when he made me smile after having I had been having a horrible day.. I can’t really explain it other than it was as if someone was saying “everything is going to be okay.” I wish I could say that I knew him better than I did, but whenever I think about him I can honestly say that Luke Anderson was a true man of God. There is not a doubt in my mind that he is standing before our Heavenly Father!
At the same time I heard of this, my roommate (Candyn) and I had been doing a weekly bible study with 5 other girls on the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I’m pretty sure I’ve had this book for about 3 years now and about a month ago was the first time that I actually started reading it. (I am extremely bad about buying books with the intention to read them.. but then I don’t.) I think there was a reason why I didn’t start it until now.
I tend to internally stress and worry more than necessary… “well I’ve got all this school work.. and my job.. and my social life with my friends.. and my family.. and ‘me time’… blah blah blah.” Do you see the pattern? ME! There are plenty of times (okay, a lot of times) when I’ve done this; I make this world about me. After reading chapter 2 of this book, I kind of felt as though I got a slap in the face. I asked myself, “who am I?” This life isn’t about me at all. Just think about the other 6.7 billion people on this planet. Oh yea, plus the others that were here in the last 2010 years.. but wait! Don’t forget about the people that were here before the year 1 AD. WHOA!! That’s a whole lot of people; I honestly can’t even wrap my head around that number!
Francis Chan explains it like this… If you were an extra in a movie, and you were on the screen for two-fifths of a second. You get all hyped up because you were all over that movie and it was about you, right? No. That two-fifths of a second wasn’t even about you! Now think about this… the movie of life. God creates the world. People rebel against God and God floods the earth. God singles out Abram making him father of a nation. There’s also other people like Joseph, Moses, and other people who this movie isn’t about. God picked them, remember? The son of God is then born to live amongst the people who God still loves. Then God’s son dies and is resurrected to go back with God. Then in the end, there’s God sitting on the throne for he alone is worthy of all praise.
Wow! Kind of makes me feel a little less important now.. actually a lot less. This “movie” of life IS NOT about me at all! It’s about God, from the beginning to the end, it’s only about Him!
In James 4:13-15 it says, “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog — it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”
Luke Anderson was only here with us for a little while, but while he was here he lived out every day for the glory of God. I want to live my life like he did!! ((1Corinthians 10:31 – “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all of the glory of God.”))
((Luke Anderson))
