Parallel Lives
Tomorrow, I will have lived as long as Chris did the day he passed. Tomorrow will be a special day for me because, for most of my life, my life has looked a lot like Chris’s. We were best friends from childhood, and we did many of the same things growing up. We both served missions, both went to BYU, we were roommates, we studied Information Systems, both lived in Wymount after getting married, both worked for the same company after graduation, and both lived in the same neighborhood. With each milestone, our lives seemed to follow similar paths. So it gives me pause to think that I’m almost as old as Chris was when he completed his mortal life. When I think about Chris and the life he lived, there is much to say about the friend, father, and person that he was. Chris was very intelligent, humble, and kind. But above all his great qualities, what stands out most to me is his personal and devout discipleship. Even in his final days, I could still sense the great faith he had in Jesus Christ through the opportunities I had to visit him in the hospital. As tomorrow draws near, I can’t help but think and reflect on my own faith in Jesus Christ. If I knew tomorrow were my last day, what would my life say about my relationship with Christ? How did I strive to remember Him? Tomorrow may be where the parallels between Chris’s life and mine diverge, but what I hope doesn’t diverge is our commitment to Jesus Christ. I will forever be grateful for Chris’s example of what it means to be a true disciple.