Alex

Saturday marked the 8 year anniversary of my brother Alex's death.  His life was taken only 6 days before his 20th birthday.  As I sat in Starbucks on Saturday morning reflecting, I felt lead to Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, the richest man on earth, with more wealth, wives, and wine than anyone could dream. And after reading through the book, here are some thoughts:

Ecclesiastes 7:1-2- "And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth...because that is the end of every man and the living takes it to heart."

Today I take to heart the untimely death of my brother Alex.  I looked up to my older brother in so many ways.  In as much as he taught me in his life, he taught me much more in his death.  This wisdom given by Solomon is true-the living do take death to heart.

When the death of a loved one became a reality in my life, many things changed.  Every simple beauty became a reason to rejoice.  A delicate flower, the complexity of zebra stripes, the sound of a child's laughter, the enjoyment of good food, and the gift of great friends.  A pretty pattern, a creative picture, a baby's smile, and a husband's touch.  Today, as I think back, my latte tastes better and the sun seems brighter.  Every moment is a gift, a chance to rejoice!  The Bible tells us to "eat, drink or whatever we do, to do it all for the glory of God."  A gift unappreciated is a reflection of an ungrateful heart.

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." The book of James tells us that life is short!  Alex's death renewed in me an urgency to tell others about Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross to atone our sins.  It made me want to represent Christ better.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed for me or for anyone.  I need to sieze every opportunity to share Christ with others and even intentionally create opportunities to do that.  The only things that outlast this life are Jesus Christ and men's souls!

So- Alex, I thank you for being such a wonderful big brother.  I miss you tremendously and grieve for what could have been.  I am comforted knowing that you are no longer plagued with the challenges and sorrows experienced on this side of heaven.  And though sometimes my sadness overshadows my appreciation of God's goodness- I am grateful for what your death has taught me.  Though I am sad today, I know that God uses every thing for our good, that we would be sanctified and made more like Him.  God uses every hardship to weaken our allegiance to this world and strengthen our love for Him who saves!