Awful, Beautiful Life

On Wednesday, I was driving to work early by myself so that I could leave at lunch and head to Hays for our 39 week check up. As I was driving, Darryl Worley's song, Awful, Beautiful Life came on the radio. While I really do enjoy the whole song, here are the lyrics that jumped out at me as I drove along:

I laid in bed that night and thought about the day
And how my life is like a roller coaster ride
The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way
It'll throw you off if you don't hold on tight
You can't really smile until you've shed some tears
I could die today or I might live on for years

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautful life

These words are so true in our lives! Just that morning, I'd read a status update on Facebook from a dad who lost his son a week ago. His son had just graduated from my HS the week or two before, was up early driving to work, fell asleep at the wheel and had a head on collision with another car, injuring the other driver. I don't know this young guy, and I only recognize his dad by name. However, when I read the article in the paper, the comments online and how this dad was seeing his son in a new light - the way that others saw him, no longer just as he'd seen him all these years, and that he'd positively impacted so many people, I was convicted with the thought of how often we see the people we love most just as how we see them. Too often we don't see all of them, the way they treat/impact others, their joys, their fears, etc. We see snapshots and don't work to see the whole person. Even those we love most. This family is certainly on life's roller coaster ride right now, clinging tightly so as not to fly off as they adjust to life without this young man who seemingly had his whole life ahead of him.

Aren't we all on a roller coaster ride in life? I sure feel like I am! I'm overwhelmed by how dramatically my prayer list has grown in the last 2 weeks with bad news followed by more disheartening news mixed in with joys and hope! But, like these lyrics say, you can't really, REALLY smile until you've shed some tears - I could die today or i might live on for years. Let's strive to make the most of THIS moment because we're not promised any certain number of moments! Strive to embrace the experiences along the way and hold fast to the Lord who is there in all of it. He's there in the crazy, tragic, magical, awful, beautiful parts and has an open invitation for us to invite Him on that journey each day.