A reflection on how tragedies can teach us the number of our days and spur us on to love and good deeds

Many of you will recall the recent Air India plane crash. To some, it was just another news story. Another tragedy in a world already too full of them. But for me, it felt like a wake-up call. A soul-stirring reminder of just how fragile life really is. How quickly it can all change—without warning, without reason. Here are four stories that have stayed with me. Four lives. Four lessons. And they’ve changed how I look at time, at purpose, at grace.

Sometimes… someday never comes.

The first was a family. They’d spent years planning to migrate to the UK. But life kept getting in the way—responsibilities, delays, uncertainty. Finally, they made it. They got on that flight. But they never reached their destination. And I thought, how many of us are waiting? Waiting for the right time, the perfect moment, the right mood, the right season? We say, “someday I’ll start,” “someday I’ll change,” But sometimes… someday never comes.

Sometimes God’s “no” is actually mercy in disguise. 

The second story shook me differently. It was a woman who was meant to be on that flight. But she arrived late. Missed check-in. She pleaded, even cried, to be let on. She was angry. Frustrated. Defeated. But she didn’t realize that her delay was divine protection. She lived because she was delayed. And I thought, "How many times have I been angry when God said 'no'?" "How many times have I seen only closed doors, without realizing they were keeping me alive?" Sometimes God’s “no” is actually mercy in disguise. 

If you’re still breathing, God is not done with you yet. 

The third story was of a man who survived. The plane split in two. One part caught fire, and he was in the other. He walked away. Dazed, but alive. That’s not luck. That’s purpose, providence. It wasn’t his time. And I remembered the verse: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) If we’re still here, if you’re still breathing, God is not done with you yet. 

And then, the fourth story. The ones who didn’t make it. People like us. With families, with dreams. They kissed someone goodbye that morning, not knowing it was the last time. And it made me realize... We’re not promised tomorrow. We’re not even promised tonight. So, what are we doing with today? 

What are we doing with today? 

My dear friends, don’t wait to love. Don’t wait to say sorry. Don’t wait to forgive. Don’t wait to dream, to try, to live the life God created you for. Because this moment—this one, right now—is all we really have. And it is sacred. As the Psalmist says: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) 

And Paul reminds us: “Now is the time of God’s favor. Now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) So I say this to myself (and maybe it’s for you, too): Live now. Love now. Forgive now. Speak now. Because sometimes… “next time” never comes.

Anupama Silas (Anu) is the Founder and Executive Director of Vanitashray, a registered non-profit organization in Pune, India and is currently the Facilitator for South Asia Without Orphans. Since 1999 Anu has been passionately serving orphans and vulnerable children. Under her leadership, community education and feeding programs have been developed as well as programs to promote family preservation and women’s empowerment. 

Anu obtained her Master’s degree in social work and her post graduate degree in Human Rights. Anu previously served as Executive Director for Maharashtra State for All India Council of Human Rights, Liberties and Social Justice, where she advocated on behalf of neglected young girls, standing against child prostitution and child marriages in India.