The fact that life is short and our end unpredictable is underscored multiple times in the Bible. For example there's 1 Peter 1:24: "All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall..."

My Wheaton College class of 1980 contained two remarkable women who went on to become judges. Cheryl Smith Aleman teamed up with Butch Maltby to win national debate tournaments. She later became a circuit judge in Miami.

Brenda Burnham Unruh was a judge in Ohio. "'Her faith and her professionalism as a judge, as a wife and mother were all consistent,'' said her pastor.

Both these women were strong in their intellect, faith, and conviction. They knew how to stand up against injustice. They were pillars of their respective communities. They made a difference and lived well.

Cheryl died three months ago and Brenda passed away this past Sunday morning. Both had cancer.

Around the world thousands died in the Japanese tsunami. But for me, the death of these two classmates is more of a shock. Death is always most shocking when it is personal.

It makes me ask, "What am I doing to make a difference? Is what I'm living for worth what Christ died for?"