R.I.P. Johnny D

My second cousin passed away this week in a tragic car accident. I say tragic because that’s what you say when someone young dies; right? When a grandparent dies, it affects us in a different way than when someone our own age or younger leave’s us. It puts the reality of death into perspective every single time it happens, and for me, it makes me contemplate the afterlife. Although I haven’t seen him in two years or so, Johnny was one of those people who knew everyone, and everyone seemed to like him. He was gifted when it came to music, and melodies just flowed through him. He loved living life. If there was something crazy or strange that he could get into, he did it, and enjoyed every second of it. These are the things we know.

Here’s where the topic gets a little less popular. I have seen message boards on memorial sites for Johnny, and many others for that matter, that are filled with sentiments like, “Miss you, but you are in Heaven now”, or “Now you get to sing in Heaven”. The list goes on. For some reason people need to comfort themselves with the thought that whoever has just passed away is in Heaven and not the eternally worse alternative. To some extent I share these sentiments. I mean, no one wants to live the rest of their lives thinking that a great friend or loved one is suffering for eternity, but the harsh reality is that the Bible says that the way is narrow to enter the kingdom of Heaven. That means that the MAJORITY of all people that have ever lived will not enter through the narrow gate. I don’t mean to be grim, but that is the truth. For this very reason, not I or anyone else on earth can judge someone who has passed on. We can hope, and I do hope that his soul belonged to God, but that is only for God himself to determine.
I find that people handle death in one of two ways. The first; they take stock of their own lives and how they’re living, and determine that changes need to be made and that they’ve been taking life for granted. The second; they feel that for some reason this was DONE to them out of spite by God, and they completely abandon any hope they may have had in Him. I find myself in the first position, really putting value on living and loving those around me to the fullest of my ability. Then the memory fades, and I find myself thinking about life less, and my own selfish ambitions a lot more, until someone else tragically passes away at a young age, without explanation. The though process begins again.

Johnny, you were loved by many and will be sorely missed. I hope you made some good decisions with your last days here, and if you are where we hope you are, get together with JC (Jesus Christ) and JC (Johnny Cash) and sing us a song. We’ll be listening.

J.W.