Death can teach us how to live

June 23, 2010

Get back on and ride, or hide?

The old adage about getting back on the horse or bike after you fall off and riding again is intriguing to me now. 

Since Daniel died, as a father I struggle with many small and big “dangers” that my two surviving kids and my wife and I might face.  Do we get back on and ride through life, or should we go hide and try to minimize our exposure to the dangers that could befall one of us?

One week from today the four of us get on a plane and fly to Uganda for a two-week mission at Watoto orphanage, and then for five days as tourists in London on the return trip home.  I am a nervous father as I contemplate this adventure for us – we are definitely “getting back on and riding” with this trip, and not hiding.  But, one can also argue that this sort of trip increases our exposure to more of the world’s dangers.

All these questions and speculations do make me pause.

At the same time, losing Daniel prematurely also stimulates me to say "let's go for it” – we must follow our dreams and live life more fully and completely, trusting that though we have no guarantees for our future, we believe that God is still good, and in the end (figuratively and literally) “all things will work together for good” even though there may be horrendous loss and pain along the way.   

So as we head to Africa, I do pray for safety, but even more so to be useful helpers at Watoto and for us each to be enlivened and transformed through these experiences.

Daniel’s death continues to teach us how to live.