Death and all his friends

Although the suns been out in all of its glory, this week has been a gloomy one. One of the mothers of a girl a Stratford passed away over the weekend, and although she's fought cancer for years, her death still shook up so many people. Along with that, the memorial of TianLiang brought a new kind of sadness. Both brought sadness, but here's the deal: the girl's mother knew Jesus. She was known for her love for Him and how that affected her life-but TianLiang didn't, or at least we won't know for quite a while. This is the part that sickens me. I had conversations with him. I had opportunities. There may have been times I could have talked to him, but did I ever? No.
I've watched Francis Chan's sermon on Holy Anguish
so many times, and it has convicted me. How did I let those convictions get away from me? Why do I always have to learn these lessons after the matter? I guess to backtrack and explain, in the sermon, Chan is telling the importance of sharing our faith and truly mourning lost souls.
Here's the deal. Finding out TianLiang died, figuring out that I knew him, realizing that I don't know his standing with God- I felt anguish. There is nothing I can do to change his eternity now. Nothing. I am sitting pretty with an eternity of joy before me and for all I know, he has just entered eternal death-and I, and all of us who know grace have been commanded to share that, to make it known! The Great Commission says:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

All authority in heaven and in earth- with that, Jesus commands us to go out and make disciples. He is telling us with such authority that this is what we ought to do and here I sit hanging out with friends, discussing paltry gossip, focusing on things that will end, just as will life. With no warning, life can end and with that our chances.
So while I rejoice in the life the mother lived, I mourn for the soul of a joyful student who probably never knew. I pray that I won't lose focus again.
I guess this is the thought I'm attempting to form. Be intentional. Don't live life as a joke, don't live it simply for yourself. As you care for others, they will care for you. See? You may even gain some friends. But more importantly, these are souls. The decisions we make now effect eternity. While we may enjoy our fleeting moments here, that enjoyment may result in suffering for another, and I don't know about you, but that isn't something I can handle. The deaths of loved ones have been hard enough knowing I won't see them for quite some time, but to leave someone's body in a grave knowing you won't ever see their soul again... I'll let you run with that.
Anyway, these are my convictions. Sorry it's depressing, but I guess one day we'll all face death. Let's live truly right now.

I'm going to leave you with my favorite hymn. My dad and I sang it almost every night before bed when I was little:

Some glad morning when this life is o'er,
I'll fly away;
To a home on God's celestial shore,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

I'll fly away, Oh Glory
I'll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away).

When the shadows of this life have gone,
I'll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

Just a few more weary days and then,
I'll fly away;
To a land where joy shall never end,
I'll fly away (I'll fly away)

Sorry if this was disorganized... I've just been mulling all of this over, and this is about how together my mind is at 1 in the morning...