Dying Young - 4/18/07

My cousin emailed me this morning. She teaches first grade in Pennsylvania and a few days ago one of her students, a 7-year old, died of a heart attack after a soccer game. She had to explain, or try to explain, to 20 6-7 year olds that their classmate had died and wasn’t coming back. I can’t imagine having to hold it together in front of all those children. We don’t expect children or young people to die. It goes against what we feel the natural order should be.

She was struck because this child had been “Student of the Week” in her classroom just that week. His picture was still on the wall hanging right under a display on butterflies that she had entitled “Waiting on Wings”. It seems in retrospect to have been a foreshadowing of events. I saw that as a synchronous event that showed the hand of God in the unfolding.

It is my belief that every life is complete whether it is short or long. Who can say what another has come into the world to do? Some finish earlier than others, even when it doesn’t look like it on the outside; even when it looks like they had so much promise, so many more years to look forward to. I’m not saying we don’t grieve. Of course we grieve. It’s hard to lose someone you love. What I am saying is that from our human perspective we can’t see the larger picture.