Life.

Yesterday, I went to a funeral. I didn't go for the deceased. I had probably spoken five words to him in the entire time I knew of his existence. I went for his wife, a teacher of mine from junior high and high school. I hadn't been to a funeral since my granddad went to be with The Lord in 2003, so this was a relatively foreign experience to me.

Being older (and wiser?) now, I was much more aware of the gravity of the situation. Sitting in the congregation, I saw the casket, draped with an American flag, and it struck me: "There is a dead body in that box. There is a body that used to have blood pumping through it and be full of life. But it's not anymore." There was a picture of the man on the projection screen and I kept looking from the picture to the casket and back, trying to comprehend it. The concept of life and its passing is a strange and interesting one.

The family filed in. I could hear the sniffing and muffled sobbing, and an unexpected wave of emotion crashed over me. The urge to burst into tears stayed with me for the rest of the day, and I had no idea why.

Nothing like a funeral to make you appreciate your own life.

Two things about this funeral gave me pause:

1) One of Austin's friends, upon hearing that I was going to a funeral, brought up an interesting thought: Times like these make you wonder how you have impacted people with your life. Of course this made me think of my own life. How have I impacted people? I would like to believe that I have some effect on people I meet, but on the other hand, what if I have gone through life effectless? I want to impact people with my life.
2) The sermon at the funeral was: What changes would you make to your life if you knew your life would not be around much longer? Whether you have a few days or a few years left, what would you change? There are plenty of things I could change in my life. Plenty of things I need to change.

I need to change how I view people. At my job, it is easy to profile and prejudge people and what kind of drink they will order. It follows that it is easy to respect someone who orders a Frappuccino less than someone who orders a latte. But why do I do that? Honestly, because Frappuccinos are annoying to make and they're really bad for you, so obviously the people ordering them are annoying too. See? I did it again. Instead of prejudging people, I need to see them as God sees them: beautiful creations who need His love. As cracked and messed up as I am, I can be a vessel to carry His love to them.

I think that if I change how I view people, I can change how I impact them.

I have two philosophies about life:
Better communication could solve all the problems in the world.
Love people, because Jesus did.

I think I will add a third:
Love God, and everything else will follow in order.

Think about it. God doesn't let a sparrow fall from the sky without noticing it, so of course He is going to look out for me. I just need to love, listen to, and obey Him.