Lately, I’ve found myself watching car accident videos on YouTube—not out of curiosity, but because they stir something deep inside me. Every clip I watch, every screech of tires, every moment where life changes in a blink, fills me with a quiet sense of dread. It’s not just about the collisions—it’s about how unexpectedly and suddenly life can be taken from us.
Whenever I see one of those videos, my mind immediately goes to the unseen causes that don’t leave skid marks on the road—things like strokes, heart attacks, or aneurysms that can silently strike a person while they're behind the wheel. I can't help but wonder: in situations like that, do investigators always perform autopsies to determine the true cause of death? Are these hidden, internal tragedies often missed in the chaos of a crash?
These thoughts weigh heavily on me and remind me just how delicate life really is. The Bible paints a powerful picture when it says life is like a vapor, here for a moment and then gone. You can leave home with a heart full of plans, with every intention of making it back in time for dinner—but life doesn’t always work on our schedule. None of us truly knows what the next hour, let alone the next day, holds.
Because of this, I try my best to stay rooted in faith. I make it a priority to keep my relationship with God strong, to pray regularly, and to lean into the promises found in Psalm 91. It gives me comfort. Yet even in that faith, I know a hard truth: when your time on Earth comes to an end, no amount of planning or preparation can stop it. When God calls you home, you have to go.
This reflection often brings me back to the loss of my dear sister, Jada. She didn’t die in a car accident—her life was stolen by gun violence. A senseless act that tore a hole in our family and left us grappling with pain that still hasn’t fully healed. It was the second child her mother had lost, and that weight is unimaginable. Whenever I speak to Jada’s mom, she always pauses and tells me how much I resemble her daughter. It’s in those moments that grief feels fresh all over again.
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I especially think about Jada during the holidays. It’s a time that’s meant for togetherness, but for many families, it only magnifies the pain of who’s no longer there. I’ll never forget—just a week before her passing, Jada had shared a post about her plans to visit her mom for Thanksgiving. She was so excited, looking forward to being home. And now… she’s gone.
These experiences remind me that while we can’t control how long we live, we can control how deeply we love. Hold your people close. Tell them you love them. Make space for faith. And never take even a single day for granted.
