WeslyI’ll never look at a pistachio the same way again. It is still crazy to me that something so small (and delicious to me 🙂 ) almost took the life of my son. The irony of my wife being unreachable that night is almost too much to believe. As a father of five, we have had a few close calls over the years, but nothing as intense as this one. All along, I think about the parents who have lost children to disease and accidents. My heart goes out to them. I am so sorry that such pain and anguish can be a part of our mortal experience on earth. Why some children are spared and others move on is a hard concept to swallow.
It is one that I don’t dare to even make any commentary on, aside from referring to some work that I have found helpful and inspiring. If it’s not clear by now, my worldview is one that is founded on a belief in God. I have seen, felt, and heard far too much in my life to deny the existence of a creator. I have friends that feel differently, and I love and respect them all the same. True friendship doesn’t have to mean having the exact same beliefs.
With our first interview of the Prioritize Your Life project being seen millions of times around the world, I have found myself in the middle of many different discussions. If you want a glimpse into human nature, have a YouTube video take off and just see where the commentary goes. It is mostly beautiful. But of course, there are also terribly rude and hateful people jumping into conversations. Wouldn’t it be incredible if we could all show each other a base level of empathy and respect, regardless of beliefs?
One theme that crops up from time to time given the subject matter of our show, is suffering. How could there be a God with all the suffering in the world. How could there be a God when a child dies that should have lived? Many of us have had these questions, and they’re fair. Years ago I found the work of Ravi Zacaharias and Vince Vitale. They have done some amazing work in the area of finding some understanding in a life full of suffering. I highly recommend this video on the subject:
I have watched my dear mother suffer from various forms of cancer and a gigantic list of other physical and emotional ailments. I can’t deny wondering in the past why does she have to suffer so much? She just told me the other day that she can’t remember having a day where she felt well. My heart aches for everything she’s had to endure. So where is God in all that? That’s the question that these fine gentlemen address. My mom has some amazing stories herself, and I’m going to bring her on to the show before too long.
Suffering is definitely a part of our lives, so the trick is what do we do with it? I’ll never forget the night of racing to get my son to the hospital, and the lesson I learned from the experience. Sometimes the small things in our lives are killing us in the form of our precious time. I never want to look back on my life and wish that I hadn’t wasted the time I had. To my sweet and wonderful children and wife, I love you. My time with you is life at the fullest.
