Leaving a legacy

The frailty of human life became painfully evident to me on Saturday morning when I was checking facebook. I saw a Tulsa news story about a plane crash that had killed three people, leaving two in critical condition. I quickly found out that one had later passed away and that one was still alive. Then, I found out that I knew one person and had met one person during my time at ORU.

When someone dies, it is tragic.
When someone dies from a community of yours, it is painful.
When someone you know dies, it hits close to home. It brings to light the fleeting nature of our time on Earth.

Stephen Luth was someone that always brought a smile to my face. Three years younger than me, I knew him through friendships with his older brothers. I got to know him during high school and ran into him again during my years at ORU. His kindness and love for others were always evident to me, and from the responses I've seen on facebook from both the Muscatine community and ORU community, I am blown away by how many lives he's touched. It is clear that he loved the Lord and that the Lord used him to minister to others.

It seems the same for the other victims, Austin, Luke, and Garrett. Austin's heroism to help save Hannah's life is beautiful.

As I've grieved this terrible loss and prayed for the complete healing of Hannah's body, I've also been thinking about what this life means. I'm guessing that none of these young men knew they were going to die on Friday afternoon when they took off. I've imagined them talking and laughing, excited about the ministry ahead of them that weekend and in their lifetime. And none of that came to pass. They didn't call all of their loved ones for a final goodbye. They didn't resolve bank accounts, write a will, or complete a bucket list.

But they did leave a legacy. Of love. Care. Selflessness. Kindness. And I'm sure in hundreds of other ways.

Here's to Stephen, Austin, Luke, and Garrett. Here's to grief and healing. Here's to leaving a legacy.