Life is a whirlwind

When describing life, one of the most common clichés used is that most people experience many seasons to their lives.

Going back to the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament and moving forward, it is an analogy that writers have repeatedly used to describe the ups and downs of life.

For every season of prosperity and beauty, there will be a season of drought and despair. This is a fact that can be counted on as surely as the falling of leaves in autumn. It is one of the inarguable facts of life. I guess this analogy is a little more than a cliché then, right?

For people paying attention the last couple of weeks, we know that there have been unspeakable crimes and deaths that have taken place in our community. They are usually the types of crimes that we read about taking place in big cities instead of a small, lovely town like Manchester.

I will not recount the events. They are already burned into our souls so there is no need to endure these facts one more time. All that will be said is that those who passed away are greatly loved, and the family members who remain are just as loved.

We understand that no place is protected when an evil whirlwind blows through a community. Sometimes the power of the whirlwind is so strong that all people can do is lift their hands to shield their eyes. And pray.

Among the frustrating aspects of an event like this is the feeling that those impacted (directly or indirectly) have to just sit there and take it. The fury of the moment takes place and lots of people have to deal with the aftermath.

However, there is good news. People do not have to just sit there and take it. And from what I have observed, the people involved in this situation have not sat there and taken it.

This is because for every evil whirlwind that passes through there is a good whirlwind as well. It is a whirlwind filled with love, compassion, and togetherness. The power of those three things becomes a lot more obvious during times like these.

It makes me wonder why we do not spend more time investing in them when times are good. I guess we believe we always will have tomorrow to get around to that, but of course, tomorrow does not always come.

If nothing else, events like this demonstrate that we will all face the end of our physical lives some day. Why don't people put as much thought into that as they do other parts of their lives? I don't know.

Most folks spend a lot of time planning for retirement. They save their dollars so they can live a lifestyle that will suit their needs. Physical fitness is a big part of this retirement preparation as well.

Still, I do not believe people spend a lot of time contemplating death. We can save all the money we want and work out until our feet ache, but there is no guarantee we will sail past retirement age.

The bottom line is a whirlwind could blow through our lives with no notice. When that happens, all the best intentions that people have about preparing for the afterlife are pretty much out the door.

Most people reading this are likely doing so on Saturday morning or afternoon. I hate to be Captain Bringdown when it comes to your weekend, but time does not wait.

Decisions need to be made.

What are you going to do? Trusting Jesus as your Savior would be a good start.