Not Feeling So Safe

Well, add nervousness onto sadness. As I wrote before, a friend of ours is sitting by his wife's bedside, hoping she survives a horrific auto accident. She still lies in a coma the last I heard, and things still aren't looking great. Another friend, Jean-Luc, died last week. He was a Bible student who had been attending our congregation. He was diagnosed with cancer and died last week. Even though he was at peace with his confidence in the future, it still hurts to lose him.

Now, we have something to make us nervous. Earlier this week, a man was found dead in his house on our block. We don't have much information, but the Police Department has let it be known that he died of a knife wound (or two...or more). They aren't saying if it was homicide or suicide, but if he died of a stabbing, one has to assume he was killed. Honestly, officer. It was an accident. He fell on the knife. Backwards. Twelve times. Okay, not funny. I joke to hide the nerves.

Living where I do, I really didn't give crime much of a thought. It's a nice subdivision, and the only real crime has been a stolen bike. Seriously. We didn't even appear as a blip on the crime tracking map that our local police department posts online. Now this. I didn't give much thought to buying a home security system before. (Not a gun or a dog...sheesh.) But now, I'm rethinking the idea. It isn't as though I have much worth stealing, and I certainly would tell any home invader to take everything as long as he left my family intact. But that's the fear, isn't it? After hearing about the auto accident that put a friend into a coma, and knowing what her husband is going through, I started to worry about my family's safety. Well, I have always worried about their safety. Now it has entered a new phase. I don't know how I would manage without my wife, and I don't want to find out. Yes, I have confidence in God's ability to resurrect me or my family members. But frankly, I would rather walk into paradise after making it through Armageddon, and not have to be brought back. The same goes for my family.

Therefore, the nerves, and the consideration of protection. No matter what, people, value those close to you. It sounds trite, but tell them how you feel. Never let a day go by when you don't express your love to someone you care for. Things can change in a heartbeat.

Now where did I put those ads for the security company?