Let's Not Just Exist

Recently while on facebook I noticed that some of my friends had posted several things about a tragedy of some kind. At first I just brushed it off as something that is likely of no concern to me. Later I noticed that someone had posted a memorial video. Curious, I decided to watch the video to see what this tragedy was that had occurred. Immediately after the video started I was overcome with sadness and I almost wished I hadn't decided to watch it. Played to the background music of "Angel" by Sarah McLaughlin, was a video of a beautiful young girl. Having read what I had, I knew that something must have happened to her and indeed that must be the tragedy that people were referring to. From the photos displayed during the video I knew that she must have been an outstanding young lady. What especially caught my attention was one photo where she was wearing a dress with a banner that had the word "queen" written on it, where she apparently had won a beauty pageant. My niece who lived in the same town had also won that pageant in recent years. I knew something very tragic had happened and I wanted to know more about it.

I googled the name of the young lady and eventually learned that she had been killed over the weekend in a tragic car accident. With a couple google searches I also learned that she was a 21 yr-old valedictorian, a cheerleader, a college student, and appeared to be a very popular girl. The next morning I called my sister-in-law to see if they knew this girl and if they had heard about her death. They had not heard about it but they did know her. She was in a play with my niece not long before her death. They also said she often sang the national anthem at the local football games.

As I learned more about this girl it was clear that this world had lost an outstanding young person. I felt deeply saddened that such a beautiful, outstanding young person had to leave this world at such a young age. I asked myself why I even cared. Besides, I did not even know this person. Something about this tragic event had caught my attention and I just could not get it out of my head. It just didn't seem fair. Maybe God was protecting her from the madness of the world we live in, or maybe as one of her friends posted online, because she was such a good singer perhaps God wanted her to sing for him in heaven. Still, it just didn't seem right. It seemed unfair to her, her family, and her friends. This world needs great people like her. She appeared to have such an outstanding life and by all appearances, such an inspiration to those who knew her, why would she leave this world at such a young age? It just didn't make sense.

Later on the next day I came across a blog that one of her friends in college had posted. She also asked the question, why, why, why? She followed that up with not only what she believed was the answer to her own question, but what I believe is the answer to why I had become so saddened by the death of someone I didn't even know. Her answer, we don't know why some people like her leave this world at such a young age, but there must be a reason. There are millions of us still here and there must be a reason for that. There within I believe lies the answer to why I could not pull myself away from this story. I asked myself that very question, why am I still here.

At that point my thinking took on a different turn. Earlier I had come across something that a friend of this young lady had posted online. She wrote, "even though you are gone, you continue to inspire us all". What an amazing thought! Living such an amazing life that people continue to be inspired even after we have left this world! I couldn't help but think of what an amazing world this could be if we all lived this way. Just a few days earlier this girl had been living what appeared to be a remarkable life. I bet little did she realize that her life would end so unexpectedly and because of it, someone she never even met would be inspired to take a good hard look at his own life. I asked myself the question, what would people think of me if I were to suddenly leave this world? Would my life inspire someone else to live their life better? Have I done anything to make this world a better place? I almost did not want to answer that question. Yes I had worked hard my entire life. Yes I am working on my education and doing well in college. But if I died what would be the net result of all this? I have been working simply to sustain myself and I if were to die my education would benefit no one. While I strongly admire hard work and education, I realized that I need to be doing something that actually has a real tangible value, were I to suddenly leave this world. I hope to use this as a guide for my life and to ask myself the question often, "Is what I am doing this very moment something that would inspire people that I don't even know?" I think that question or the answer to it, should be a benckmark for our lives and something we should ask ourselves often.

As for the answer to why am I still here, I don't know the answer to that. But what I do know is that there is a world around me that is crying out for help. There are hungry children who are uneducated and without proper clothing and medicine, there are adults who are hungry and uneducated and without proper clothing and medicine, there are sad and lonely people that need someone to talk to, there are neglected people, there are children who need mentors, there are those who only need a smile to brighten their day; for everything we have that we can give, there is someone that needs it. As I pondered all these things I couldn't help but think, how sad, I have worked hard my entire life, have always been an "A" student. Clearly God has blessed me with a gift, but I have been just merely existing! Its time to do more than exist. Its time to no longer ignore the call for help from the world around me.

Life is full of unknowns. We don't know how much time we have on earth. We do not get to choose when we leave this world. What we do get to choose is what we do with our time that we are given. A person's life whom I didn't even know inspired me to really consider what I have been doing with my time. I think its time to change course so that if tomorrow its me, maybe someone else will be inspired. Life is full of unknowns, sometimes life seems unfair, sometimes it all makes no sense, sometimes it all appears to be out of control, but only we can control whether we use our time to make this world a better place or if we choose to just simply exist. Please, let's not just exist!