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My World Got Rocked

My world got rocked today. In a major way. I honestly can't remember a time that the wind was so suddenly sucked out of me as it was today when I got the text message saying the boyfriend of a friend of mine had died suddenly in the night from a blood clot. Now, I didn't know him well at all...but what I do know is that I had an opportunity to make a difference in his life, and I don't know if I did.

You see, he came with his girlfriend's family this Sunday to dinner and church to celebrate my upcoming birthday. I don't know all the details of his past, but I know there have been some rough spots, so I was very excited to see him come and be excited about attending. He seemed to really enjoy the service, and he was very happy afterward. I thanked him for coming, and that was it. He got in the car with his girlfriend and my mom, and off they went.

Flash forward to today...I get the text. It hit me immediately...I don't know if he was saved. I didn't have enough of a conversation with him Sunday to know if he made any decisions. I don't know if he is in heaven or hell....but I could have known. If I had done more. I have never felt such a conviction in my entire life as I did today. I was in a trance, and I NEVER want to feel that way again. I don't ever want to have to wonder if there was something else I could or should have done.

Since I got the text message, I've found out some pretty miraculous things. First, he turned in a response card at the service Sunday saying that he wanted to know more about Jesus. Second, on the way home, he asked my mom a lot of questions about God and forgiveness. Third, several of the church staff members talked to him on Sunday ...one even said that as soon as he saw him he knew he needed something and was going to walk out of the service a changed person.

A very wise and compassionate friend of mine at school reminded me today that we don't know what went on in his heart...we don't know what God did in him. We do know that he survived everything in his past to make it to this Sunday, where he heard a sermon all about forgiveness and getting past your past, because the Lord knew what was coming for him on Monday. God doesn't make mistakes. There are no coincidences. I have to have faith that everything happened exactly like it was meant, and that he did undergo a true heart change on Sunday.

As I tried to process all of this today, I read Isaiah 25. One verse in particular stood out to me...Isaiah 25:4 states, "He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken." Praise God.

God has used this tragedy to turn my world absolutely upside down today. I have been too complacent, and it's time for a change.

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