Over the last few weeks, the city of Austin has been rocked by a series of deadly bombings. A host of law enforcement agencies have collaborated to find and stop the perpetrator. Meanwhile, residents have been called upon to be vigilant about their surroundings and any suspicious packages.
The bombings have brought with them an air of uncertainty, but the reality is that certainty about the future is always an illusion. I recently heard a character on a TV show say, “The future holds many possibilities, and they all end in death.”
The tragedy of events like these reminds each of us of the frailty and brevity of life. The wise king Solomon said, “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” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). As we dream and make plans, it is easy to forget the certainty that this life will end and that nobody knows when that will be.
For that reason, we ought to approach each day as a gift not promised, not to squander it, but to be sure that we are prepared to face eternity and that the legacy that we leave is one of integrity.