Patrolman Angel David Garcia

Officer Garcia, your life is celebrated and you are not forgotten!

Life is Like a Flower
Bible study on the brevity of life.
James says: "Let the lowly brother glory in his exhalation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits" (Jas. 1:9-11).

How is life like a flower? Life is brief. It is here one day and gone the next. Sometimes life ends unexpectedly just as a flower that is burned up by the sun and dies before having lived an entire season.

Life is like a flower. We must care for our life as we must care for our flowers. Sometimes, flowers die because we do not take care of them. We may neglect to water them or feed them properly. If we neglect our flowers they will die prematurely. And if we neglect our bodies, we will die prematurely.

Life is like a flower. Often times a flower's life abruptly ends. If you are like me, I sometimes accidentally kill our flowers with the lawn mower (for which I get in trouble). In life, accidents occur; therefore, we must be ready to die without a moment's notice.

Life is like a flower. It lives and dies. Then, it is forgotten. Someone may make a fuss over a flower for a short time, but no one eternally grieves over its passing. Soon, no one remembers the flower that had lived. It is dead and replaced by another flower that receives the glory of nature.

Our life is like a flower. We live and die. We are soon forgotten. Someone makes a fuss over us for a short time and then our existence on earth is forgotten. Thousands of years from now, no one living will remember our life. Yes, history may record our birth and death; and it may even record a moment in time of our life. But no one will stay up night after night grieving our passing. At most, our life will be but a fleeting thought.

Comprehending that life is like a flower has a positive impact upon us. If I comprehend the brevity of life, I will live each day as if it were my last. Indeed, it may be my last day to live. Think about this: What would you do today if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? Would you change anything about yourself?

If I comprehend the brevity of life, I will be ready to stand before the Lord in judgment. I will look forward to the day that I may see my Lord and worship at His feet. Therefore, I will count it all joy when I fall into various trials (Jas. 1:2-8), I will endure temptations and not sin (Jas. 1:12-18), I will be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (Jas. 1:19-20), I will be a doer of God's word and not only a hearer (Jas. 1:21-27).

Deportation Officer Mary Gutierrez
ICE

May 6, 2019