six.

Listen to this as you read this.

This has been a dark week for my college community. Not only did a 2010 grad die in a car crash, a boy in my class had 2 heart attacks. He was placed on life support and was supposedly doing well. Until today. They are taking him off life support in the next 24 hours.

I have never seen such a rallying of people. People have been praying nonstop for this boy and his family since Saturday morning. People are still praying and everyone is hoping that he can pull through. However, things look grim.

It's been a weird process. I don't know this boy, but he is in my class, my age, in my dorm. I have seen him around all the time, but never talked to him. Yet I am deeply pained. I don't believe that God is punishing him. Maybe God's challenging his family and wanting to see growth and glory for Himself. Either way, I am upset. I thought he was going to live. I have never seen praying like this and yet the boy's condition is 'grave.' It really hits home how trivial everything else is and the immense faith of his family and friends.

His favorite verses are Romans 5:2-5:

"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 5:10-11).

May this boy be an example to all. Life is fleeting, but Jesus is eternal. May you make the most of the moments you have been given. May you feel the arms of Jesus around you and find strength and peace in that. May fear leave you and the peace that can only come from Jesus fill that void. May you strive to be more like this boy and the friends and family he leaves behind. "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen" (Jude 24-25).