Tell me there is more.

There was a local high school soccer player, 16 years old, that died today. He had MRSA Staph infection and they unhooked the machine that was breathing for him after he had gone brain dead. He was running around on a soccer field five days ago and now he's gone. I don't know why I need stories like this to remind me life is so short; when the reality is, I could die tomorrow. Or in five minutes, for that matter. I should never forget how short my time here is.

A few of the girls I coach were good friends with this boy. After finding out about his passing, one of the girls texted me this: "Coach, WHAT IS THE POINT OF LIVING? Because we only live for a little while...then we die. And I wish we could just skip this part, and go onto the good stuff...because life sucks man." 

Wow. I mean, how do you even respond to that? How do you explain death to a 15 year old. Heck...I don't even understand it. The first thought that popped into my head: The answer to that question is God. Nothing makes sense without Him. Nothing. Like she said, we are only here for a "little while" and then we are gone. None of us are getting out of here alive, so why all the meaningless stuff? I'm glad she is coming to this realization at 15 rather than at 50, but I am not glad for the reason she is coming to the realization. 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:19-21

Everyone worships something. You can tell by what they spend their money on, what they read, what they watch on tv, how they spend their time, who they look up to. Dont' you think we should all be worshiping something legit? Something that isn't superficial? Something that is meaningful? Something that gives life? Because most of this stuff isn't coming with us. Most of it doesn't mean anything. Seriously. It means NOTHING. I don't think people want to believe that. They don't want to believe it because they know it's true and they would rather have something else that makes them 'feel good' rather than something that 'IS good.'

I wish we would all stop fooling ourselves. It's not always pretty...sometimes, "life sucks man." So this can't be it. We can't be here just to live and die and rot away. We are pleasure-seeking people but we are willing to settle for meaningless things. Our souls are screaming for life eternal. It's here, my friends....and the best is yet to come. 

"Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." -C.S. Lewis