Musings on Life and Death

A couple of nights ago I sat with a friend and heard his story of a recent near death experience on a mountain. He took a long slide and then a free fall, maybe 40 to 50 feet. He said that as he hurtled off the edge and into the air, he had three thoughts: 1. This is it, I'm going to die 2. That's ok 3. Nobody will find my body here. As he hit the ground and realized he was alive, he experienced an extraordinary thankfulness. After he bandaged himself up as best he could and hobbled down the rest of the mountain with extreme difficulty, he described how he felt an unmistakable Presence with him the entire seven or eight hours. He knew that he was not alone. In fact, when he finally made it down, he was singing because he was so thankful to be alive. He describes the experience as "life-altering". This story was impacting to me because first of all, he's a friend, and second of all, it reinforces the idea that we have no control over our life spans. A fall of that height has killed hundreds of people in the past. The Lord is the one who holds our life, and its span here on earth, in the palm of His hand.