In The Blink Of An Eye

Last Friday, a terrible tragedy occurred in the state of the Nebraska. At approximately 4pm, a van carrying two coaches and eight boys of the Broken Bow high school basketball team was returning home from a basketball clinic in Kearney. Just two miles from home, a pickup truck traveling the opposite direction on Highway 2 swerved over the center line and hit the van head-on. The driver of the pickup, a man from Ansley, Nebraska, and both coaches in the van were killed. None of the eight boys in the van were killed although, as of today, three of them remain in the hospital, one in critical condition.

Broken Bow is a small town with a population of about 3,100, and Ansley is very small consisting of only 469 people. In small towns, tragedies like this one are felt more deeply, I believe, effecting not only the families and friends of the victims, but really the whole town. My prayers continue to go out to all those effected.

It only goes to show you that you just never know how much time you may have on this Earth. We all expect to live long, full lives, but now and then we receive these painful reminders that that just may not be in the cards for all of us. The driver of that pickup truck was 70, but the two coaches were aged 38 and 24.

We just never know when our time may come. That’s why it is so important to always be ready. Imagine if you had an argument with your parent, sibling, friend, etc, and then died the next day, never having resolved it. I guess that’s why it says in Ephesians 4 verses 25 and 26:

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger ESV

It would be a terrible thing to leave that kind of unresolved business behind us when our time comes, but it would be even more tragic if we were not right with God. It’s so easy to think, “I’m young, I’ll have plenty of time to learn about God later on so I’ll live my life the way I want to now.” I used to think that way myself and now I know how foolish I was. Maybe you have plenty of time and maybe you don’t. We just don’t know.

There are plenty of scriptures that speak very plainly about this. Luke 21 verse 34 for example:

"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ESV

And Mark 13, verses 32 and 33:

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ESV

An even better example is the parable of the bridegroom and the virgins from Matthew 25, verses 1 through 13:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. ESV

Now, I know those verses are speaking about the day Jesus returns to the Earth, but I think it kind of works either way. Whether it is our time to go, or His time to come, the point is we need to be ready because, just like it says, “you know neither the day nor the hour.” It could happen next week or tomorrow or later on today.

I know, I know, this topic is kind of a downer. Who wants to sit around and think about the day we’ll die? The hard truth is that, as responsible Christians and human beings, we do need to think about it. Don’t be caught unawares; be prepared!