Twilight

For the second time in just five years, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves mourning the loss of one of their own.

Josh Hancock, a 29 year-old right-handed reliever who was in his second year with the Cardinals, was killed instantly early Sunday morning when his SUV struck a stationary tow truck on Interstate 64. All of the details surrounding the wreck have yet to be sorted out, but Hancock’s untimely passing brings back memories of another Cardinals’ hurler who died too young.

Darryl Kile died unexpectedly during the night of June 21, 2002 due to a coronary disease. The death came as a shock to the baseball community because Kile was just 33 years old, and seemingly in the prime of life. He was married with three kids, a three-time All-Star, two years removed from a 20-win season, and making millions of dollars a year.

The idea that death is the great equalizer is not a new one; from Ecclesiastes to Shakespeare, it is a point that has been well-made many times over.

But maybe the point is never driven home quite as hard as it is when someone like Josh Hancock or Darryl Kile dies unexpectedly. It’s at these times that we are reminded that death comes for each of us, whether in the form of a car accident, or heart attack, or old age, and that neither wealth, nor fame, nor physical ability can save us from it.

During times like these I’m also reminded of the words of Jesus in John 9.4:

“We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”

Daylight is fading for each of us, and none of us knows for sure when night will fall on our lives. Make the most of the daylight.

Steve Irwin: 1962-2006

I was saddened to hear that Steve Irwin, famous worldwide as the “Crocodile Hunter”, died Monday morning when he was fatally stabbed in the chest by a stingray barb while snorkeling near the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia.

Irwin was famous for his commitment to conservationism and his passion for wildlife, and ever since he came onto the scene in the U.S. in the late 1990s, I liked him for the childlike enthusiasm he always displayed for animals, the unbelievable courage he had to get as close as possible to animals that most of us choose to stay away from, and his funny Australian accent.

Spending so much time around dangerous animals like crocodiles and poisonous snakes, Irwin avoided death on such a regular basis that he almost seemed to be impervious to it. Sure, hanging out with an angry crocodile would be a hazardous endeavor for you or me, but for the Croc Hunter, it never really seemed to posed a threat; he was always in control of the situation.

Or at least, that was the case until Monday, when I was reminded that, despite appearances, none of us is really in control of the situation we find ourselves in, and none of us can escape death forever. One of the realities of life is that it is ended by a physical death that comes for all of us, and can come at any time.

But fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the end of the story. The Bible teaches that for those who live for Christ, physical death is overcome by eternal spiritual life.

I am not impervious to death; it will claim me someday. But it will not be the end of my story.