Her Last Adventure

As a senior in high school, I've been faced with many 'lasts' this year. Most of them have been very hard on me as I'm not one who likes change, thought I've been through so much of it. However what people often forget is that you experience last things every day, most of the time without even knowing it. That's a very hard concept to grasp. 

On Tuesday of this week ( May 3), a Junior from my local high school passed away after a car accident.  Without knowing it, she completed many of her last tasks that day. You see, she was on her way home from her last track meet, where she ran hurdles for the last time, competed in a relay for the last time, among other things I'm sure. She also drove towards her family home for the last time. Now this may cause distress to others, however our community has been very comforted by the fact that this Junior was so open with her relationship with God. It was ever present with her, and it was beautiful. Now I always thought that I was good at writing, and I realize that to some extent I am. But man, could this girl write. Much like myself she had a blog, though a very different style than mine. I consider myself to have an advice blog, but lets be honest I mainly am just writing to myself here. Laura however, used her blog to preach, to allow people to connect with God. Yet she still related it to every day stories.  

"As I reflect on the moments in life when I felt most alive, I realize it's when I felt fully known. I felt understood. It's when I related deeply with others and with my Creator. 

To know, and to fully be known. 

I think this is what awakens our soul. 

And the One who fully knows us, is the Creator of both spirit and flesh--body and soul. 

And He, this omnipotent being, also desires for us to know Him and to have a relationship with Him. Without a relationship with Jesus Christ, you will never be fully alive. Call upon the One who died for you, so you may have life--to the fullest, and for eternity.  

For that, my friend, is the greatest ADVENTURE. "

Above is a quote from the last post on Laura's blog, written almost exactly two months to the day that she passed away. Because she was only seventeen it may seem as though she was not given the chance to live life to the fullest or have her great adventure. However after attending her services today, it became apparent to me that this girl lived her whole life as an adventure, and that simply spreading the word of God allowed her to feel alive. What may seem to be Laura's last adventure is anything but, as she now as an eternity full of adventure. Today at the service we got to see how truly wonderful this girl was, and how many people she impacted. Our school auditorium was filled, we had to broadcast the service into another room so people could watch; and there were still people standing in the back observing. The pastor kept reiterating the change Laura wanted to make, and the word she wanted to get out, and though the circumstances were not ideal, she did it and she will continue to do it forever. 

So while we need to grieve and be heartbroken, we must remember that Laura is in the place she preached so much about, the place where all of her faith was, and for that we must rejoice.  As Laura says in another post, 

"We were made to discover, go on adventures. To laugh and find joy in the small areas of life. We were made to fellowship with others, share with them in happiness as well as pain. We feed of each other, we need each other. We need to not hide our feelings or try to walk this rode alone."