Being a young pastor's wife and mother of little ones, this tragedy has hit very close to my heart. I have been reminded that no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Not even young wives. Not even mommies. Every day is a gracious gift from God. This gift should be received with a spirit of thankfulness and bent on using it to the fullest for His glory.
In January of 2013, just six months before he would take his last breath, Chad Phelps wrote this powerful statement on his blog:
"Will you pray with us in regards to this summer? Start praying even now.
Pray that God will revive our youth group and give us a passion to live for Jesus
and follow Him with reckless abandonment.
That's how we believe He wants us to live. Pray that we will seek to find our
satisfaction this summer in Him and Him alone, not in any of the cheap thrills
that the world has to offer."
Our lives are short. I ought to use the days I am given with "reckless abandonment" for Christ because I don't know when those days might end. As a follower of Jesus, I need to be willing to take risks and do hard things for Him with the goal of making a lasting impact for eternity; to lavishly spend and be spent for the sake of the gospel. I need to hold on to earthly treasures very loosely, remembering that every good gift is from God and ultimately belongs to Him.
While we may never fully understand why this tragedy took place, we can know with certainty that God is still seated on His throne and will use this "for the good of those who love Him." He will continue to show Himself faithful and good, enabling the hearts of His people to "find our satisfaction in Him and Him alone."
