Lessons from Tragedy
by Harry Osborne
February 8, 2009

Last Friday, we received word of the tragic death of Mark Hogland as the result of an airplane crash on Catalina Island, California. Mark was 48 years old at the time of his passing. Our love and sympathy are extended to the entire Hogland family. Some of those who have been in the area for a long time remember Mark from his youth as he grew up here. The rest may only know his parents (Tom and Glenita Hogland), his former wife (Melinda), his children (Holly, Emily and Sarah), and his siblings (Tim, Brett and Lori Ward). The news has jarred and saddened all of us. Our hearts are heavy with grief and love for each member of the family, wishing we could do something to help lighten the load of their mourning. Our hope and consolation is found in knowing that our loving Father hears and answers prayer. He alone can bring true healing to every broken heart and restore peace to every shattered spirit. Let each one be upheld by His Almighty strength and feel the comfort of His sheltering embrace.

Each time such tragedies take the lives of those whom we think to be in the prime of life, we are shocked by the suddenness with which death comes. Our tendency is to think of unexpected death as unfair, premature or surprising beyond belief. However, death is actually a normal part of life on this earth. Unwelcome as they are, such calamities teach needed lessons to those of us who remain among the living. The Bible speaks of the need to learn the lessons that are taught by facing death's reality. Long ago, the wise man Solomon wrote,

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Eccl. 7:2-4).

In the past few days, many friends and relatives have gone to the houses of those mourning to extend acts of kindness to the family and sometimes to share remembrances of Mark. Their hearts have been made better by their actions just as they have helped better the hearts of the family. As we have been with the family and looked at the pictures of one so vibrant and healthy just a few days ago, we have been provided once more with vivid reminders about the reality of death and the uncertainty of life. Such cases of sudden and untimely death were well described by one Bible writer of old:

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them (Eccl. 9:11-12).

The death of any person we have known makes us face death as a more striking reality. When we attend a funeral, death is not a theoretical proposition - it is a reality! We are forced to contemplate the fact that we too will die just as the one whose memory we honor at a funeral. The same is true when we seek to console a grieving family as they mourn the absence of a loved one taken without warning. The recognition of death's reality and aftermath brings with it several lessons.

First, we must see the brevity of life. The Psalmist said, "Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor" (Psa. 39:5). In the New Testament, James refers to the same thing noting, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (Jas. 4:14). Therefore, our prayer should be that of Psalm 90:12 -- "So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." None of us have a guarantee on life. Even in the death of those advanced in age, death is most often unexpected and always accompanied with a grief for which the loved ones are never prepared. The death of a young person multiplies the shock for those of us left behind, but it really should not. Whether a teenager or a healthy young man, neither is given any more promise of tomorrow than a 90-year-old. Each of us would do well to remember that fact.

Second, we are impressed with the frailty of life. When one of the family members mentioned that Mark was a very healthy man and had even competed in a triathlon just a short time before his sudden death, this lesson was made even more emphatic for all to see. Such facts serve as jolting reminders about the tenuous divide between life and death. David speaks of life's uncertainty by noting that "there is but a step between me and death" (1 Sam. 20:3). Solomon declared the same thing saying, "No one has power over the day of death" (Eccl. 8:8). Young people, do you think, "That couldn't happen to me"? Do you think Mark knew last Thursday when he arose that it would be his last day upon this earth? No, he had talked with Holly that day making plans to meet her the next day for coffee Yes, sudden death could happen to you and you need to face that fact -- and be prepared for it.

Third, we are brought to contemplate what lies beyond this life. The Bible answers that point emphatically by stating, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). Whether in youth or in later years, all of us must be prepared to meet God in judgment, "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil" (Eccl. 12:14). No service is done to anyone by presuming the place of judge over the person who has passed from this life. There is but one Judge, both loving and just, who knows the thoughts, intents and actions of all. He gives all the time to repent and come to Him. In each case of death of an erring child of God, we can live with the hope that repentance and prayer will bring one back to God, no matter how far a prodigal may have strayed. It is the proper place of Christ alone to make all things manifest in the judgment and sentence each accordingly (2 Cor. 5:10).

Fourth, we need to act now to avoid eternal regrets later. In Luke 16, Jesus reminded the rich and self-obsessed of His day about the very different destiny of two men (Lk. 16:19-31). A poor beggar named Lazarus ended a life of misery to enter an eternal reward because he was spiritually prepared despite his temporal suffering. A rich man, unworthy of being remembered by name in God's word, ended his life of luxury and ease to face an eternal reality of regrets and torment. His death began an everlasting period of remembering what he should have made a priority in his lifetime. His death was a stark awakening of the reality that a life of self-centered provisions for his fleshly desires would never help him escape an eternity of torment. His death started an endless recall of what he should have done and wished he could do, but never again would have an opportunity to do. If your life were taken with suddenness today, would your eternity be filled with joy or regrets? There is no sinful action or selfish desire that is worth the inevitable, unending regrets one will have in hell.

Think about it!

We have no guarantee on life. We hold no lease for a given number of years. Have you thought about the many people at every stage of life who die in tragedies on a daily basis throughout the world? They do not expect to die. They have plans for anticipated actions over the coming hours, days and weeks. They are looking forward with joy at various happy times they plan on sharing with others. They have many hopes and dreams for many tomorrows, but none of those hopes and dreams will be realized.

Yes, it is good to go to the house of mourning. It is never enjoyable, but it is still good. The good comes from facing the lessons learned by such occasions and changing our life for the better. Let us all seriously reflect upon our lives in view of our certain appointment to face God in judgment and the eternal destiny to follow.

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