by Lizzy Blanchard
– Homeward Bound Series – Lizzy’s Story –
Sometimes events happen that remind you of important truths, reorient your priorities, and fan into flame a deep desire to run this earthly race well. When these events and the subsequent moments occur, we are reminded of what is lasting and what is fleeting.
As you read this, you may have had something specific come to mind. For myself, I think of January 9th, 2017, when I got a phone call from my mom in which I was told that my sister had died in a car accident.
Getting that phone call at home, alone, was an absolute shock. At the time my sister, Sarah, was 22 years old and I was 20. I’m grateful to say that we were extremely close; best friends! We lived together, worked together, shared everything together (clothes, drives to work, hopes, fears, and more)! She was truly my best friend who could seemingly know what I was thinking before I would ever say it. Words could slip on and on about our relationship, but what is far more important is that she had a relationship with God the Father through His only Son, Jesus Christ. She loved the Lord and His Word. She would spend hours bent over her open Bible in her room – her floor littered with pens, highlighters, and commentaries surrounding her – as she desired to know more about the One true God she loved, worshiped, and served. She loved telling others about her studies too. I recall one morning (one EARLY morning, mind you) when she ran into my room, woke me up, and began telling me about something she’d discovered, “Lizzy! Did you know that the Trinity is referenced in the first 3 verses of Genesis?! Look…” and on she would tell me about her findings. She was even teaching herself how to read Koine Greek so that she could read the New Testament in its original language! Oh how I wish I could soak in that wisdom and go deep in conversation with her now, as I have grown much since then in my own desire to understand His word!
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:14
Friends, life is short. That is something I think we all recognize, especially after events like this. Many of us have had these heavy reminders as well in various ways. What I want to encourage you in now, however, is this truth that I had long since known, but that I grew incredibly passionate about in the time following my sister’s death. I grew passionate about it, in part, because it’s implications became incredibly clear: this present life is fleeting, but eternity is never-ending.
Praise God that my sister Sarah has eternity before her in His presence. Praise God for faithful disciples, ambassadors of Christ Jesus, who presented the Gospel to her, to the glory and work of God. The reality is, eternity is the reality for every human. The question is where they will spend their eternity: in God’s presence or apart from it. Heaven and Hell are real places, and perhaps Satan does his “best” work when he convinces others that they are not.
As I received and held the peace of God in the moments following Sarah’s death, and continuing after that, I felt the intense sense of urgency to recognize all of humanity’s brevity on earth, and the implications for those apart from Him. I pondered my own brevity and how there was no time to be wasted to do the works God had prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10).
I remember clearly one day when I had entered the cemetery to visit my sister’s grave, I looked around with fresh eyes at the headstones I was passing on my drive to hers. The thought came to my mind, I believe by the Holy Spirit, “Each one of these headstones represents a person who is either enjoying the presence of God forever, or suffering apart from Him forever.” With that reality and acknowledgment I was burdened all the more to be faithful in participating in the great commission, to take seriously Paul’s teaching in Romans 10:14-15, and to be an ambassador for Christ Jesus to the glory of God.
How could I not? I am commanded.
How could I not? I have been given the greatest gift I could ever dare hope to receive.
How could I not? There are people, with eternal souls, who have yet to understand the Gospel and its implications for them.
How could I not? As a Christian, there is no other option, and simultaneously, no greater privilege.
We get to be a part of God’s redemptive story.
Thanks be to God for saving a wretch like me. Thanks be to God for the assurance of salvation we can have because of Christ Jesus’ atonement and God’s great love (John 3:16, Romans 5:10-11). Thanks be to God for equipping us with His Holy Spirit, never leaving us alone in this task, or at all for that matter (Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:26-27). Thanks be to God for eye-awakening moments that increase our faith, give Him glory, and give us opportunities to comfort others as we have been comforted (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).
God works all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) I can testify to this. Open your Bible to that verse with me and marvel over the fact that this text does not say, “some things” or “most things” or “good things”, but rather it says, “all things”. This means we have a powerful God, a good God, a caring God, and a God with a plan. This brings me more comfort than I could ever express.
Lizzy Blanchard comes alongside the weary and worn life-traveler who is looking for encouragement and truth in a world that feels confusing, and sometimes, in a church culture that feels inconsistent with Scripture. Lizzy is passionate about the truth and encouragement that can only be found in Jesus Christ and His Word. You can connect with Lizzy on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and at www.lizzyblanchard.com.
Leave a Reply