“A Brush with the Brevity of Life”
January 28th, 2008 by Rich JacobsonToday, as I was driviing across the Tacoma-Narrows Bridge on my way to Bellevue, a multiple vehicle accident occured just a couple car lengths ahead of me. I slowed and pulled over to the railing, dialed 911 on my cell, and stepped out to assess any injuries. Fortunately, even though two of the cars were completely totalled, there were no injuries.
One of the drivers was obviously shaken. She stared at the twisted metal and cried, “I’ve poured 2 years of my life into this car!” I tried to reasurre her that everything was going to be alright, and gave her a comforting hug.
It immediately reminded me of something our pastor said in church yesterday. We’ve been going through a series on “Margins,” how we tend to crowd so many things into our lives, and lose sight of the things that are most important (you can listen to the series HERE)
This week we were looking at money and possessions, and how we can easily be controlled by pursuing wealth and the accumulation of ’stuff.’
To illustrate his point, he said that whenever we find ourselves coveting what others have, and desiring more, we should just say, “It could be worse!”….
Life is like a vapor, a brief lingering mist that quickly disappears. There are no quarantees. Death is no respecter of persons. All the more reason to ponder the deeper questions of our existence, and to ask what lies beyond the vail.
As this woman cried into my shoulder, I said, “It could be worse!”…..
