This week I attended the funeral of my Aunt Bethel. She passed away suddenly in her sleep- she was only 54. After my mom died at 47, I began to think about how short life really can be. But, my mother lived her life as fully as possible, long before she was diagnosed with cancer. Aunt Bethel on the other hand, spent the majority of her life afraid. Afraid to travel, afraid to move, afraid to try. By the grace of God, she had grown tremendously in the past few years, conquering fears and discovering life. That is why to me, her death is more of a tragedy than my own mother’s.
As I think about the lives of these two sisters, I long for a testimony that more closely resembles my mom’s. Shorter, perhaps, but full! Full of life, of adventure, of service to others, full of the grace and strength of Christ, even full of struggle, if it is to the glory of God.
It is cliché to say, “You never know how much time you have” but I was forced this week to reflect on how true that is. My prayer is that fear never keeps me from fun, from relationships or most importantly from chasing hard after my Jesus and the adventure He is calling me into.
