Death Comes For Us All

Death Comes For Us All Life is a precious thing. Everyday God breathes new life into the world replenishing it with those we loved and lost. We have lost friends and family that meant a lot to us or even everything to us. But what is the purpose of this life? Is it to pay taxes to help the cogs of the industrial society continue to work? Is it to fill our bank with money that we can’t take with us when we die? You have to answer that question for yourself. I would like to share what life is for me that I discovered very recently. My family is everything to me. I have a wife that would do absolutely anything for me. I have three beautiful daughters that God has blessed me with. They are smart and independent thinkers and question pretty much everything they see and hear. But with family comes challenges. My oldest daughter is from my first marriage and her mother and I have always had trouble seeing eye to eye on how our daughter should be raised. I understand my ex wants what is best for her from her point of view and even though it has caused my oldest daughter to blame me for a lot of things, I don’t hold anything against either of them. I hope they both are living their best life and hitting all the goals they set before them. I will always respect her position as the mother of my child and even though I have said things out of anger that I now regret. I have released the regrets and trust one day my oldest daughter will reach out to me. The thing I take away from the trials and tribulations of life that oftentimes you will be dragged down to a dark place but in the end it makes you a stronger person. We have a saying in jiu-jitsu that came from a long-time instructor of mine that I repeat not only to my students but also to my family very often. Scars make warriors whether it is physical or emotional pain. Now the funny thing about scar tissue is that even though it repairs it oftentimes can easily be cut back open. Life can do that to a person, we think we have moved past something or learned a lesson from it but we find our insecurities from those scars opening up again and damaging us once more. This is where true forgiveness comes in. We can say we forgive someone or someone has forgiven us but we hold on to the pain we felt from it. It stays fresh on our minds and we package it up and take our baggage with us to the next relationship, friendship or any other dealing with another person. It damages potentially good relationships and hinders what you could have had with that person because of our scars. So how do we let go of it completely? Look inside yourself and take accountability of what you have done and who you are as a person. Sometimes it means letting go of that other person to be able to live their life and it means you not being selfish and praying for those that have hurt you. Sometimes it means blocking a phone number from someone that is only negative towards you so that you can’t be influenced by their mean or hurtful comments but you never stop praying for that person for God to change their heart. I have been praying for my ex, I pray for my oldest daughter, I pray for my enemies and I most certainly pray for my family now. Life isn’t about how much money you give away or the good deeds you do in the public for everyone. It’s about giving and helping in silence so that the Lord knows your heart. It’s about the joy you bring God when you help someone and only he knows about it. It’s about loving your family and teaching them right from wrong, especially in today’s world where everything right, is told that it is wrong and just being a Christian puts you on the list of targets. Where sin is praised in the media and the sinners are called personal heroes and mentors. In conclusion, Be the light you want to see in the world. Raise others up and build up their confidence to achieve what they want out of life. Life is but a season and then it’s gone. Maximize your time by finding a circle of people that build up one another and embrace the time you have with those. Hug your people and tell them you love them. Don’t leave without giving them a hug or a kiss so when you’re gone they don’t regret not saying “see you later” one last time. In memory of W. H. Koon and Gary Smith