Virginia Tech’s Tragedy

Ryan “Stack” Clark. Paul Leone. One of these young people you’ve probably heard of already. One of them you most likely will never hear about outside of this blog. I was watching ESPN, catching up on sports news, when the announcer said, “You can hear more about the massacre at Virginia Tech University at our ABC station.” I was stunned.

After hours of news coverage on this tragedy, the first face attached to a victim’s name was Ryan Clark’s. Ryan was killed during the first shootings at Ambler Johnston Hall Dorm. Like others, I discovered that Ryan was 22 years old, a member of the marching band, and a resident assistant. He was a psychology major with a 4.0 grade point average. Only one month away from graduation, Ryan probably had hopes for a long career after pursuing his PhD.

And then there’s Paul Leone! Paul was a senior at my daughter’s high school. As he was enjoying the first day of a long awaited Spring break week, he was killed in a car accident. Paul was only two months from graduating. As a parent, my heart goes out to these parents regarding the loss of their sons and their seemingly unrealized potential.

Whether by murder or accident, we just don’t expect to die young. We expect, and maybe even feel entitled to live out our entire life well into old age. But what if today was the unexpected last chapter and page written about your life? What have you accomplished? Have you maximized your potential? And who have you enriched or to whom have you added value?

The Bible reminds us that we should regularly ask God to “teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT, 1996). Could part of this tragedy be that many of us will continue to live our lives as if we are entitled to tomorrow? As usual, I invite your thoughts!