(1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?I am working through the Confessions of Augustine. It is slow going. I have a free download on my Kindle and it is an old, cumbersome translation. Today I was reading about the time in Augustine’s life when his mother died. She was not worried about it. He responded with eternity in mind. He was very close to his mother, yet he was able to rejoice in the knowledge that she passed on knowing that he would follow her to an eternity with the Lord.
A second fact is that it has now been a year since my older brother died. He was only 64, which is young by current standards. He was the biggest, strongest and most robust of the siblings. Blood cancer brought him down. It was hard to stand by his bed as he breathed his last. At the same time there was the joy of knowing that he was a believer who was simply going on to a better life.
Death is serious. So is life. Separation and pain are real. So is the assurance we have as believers. We tend to get so focused on the daily grind that we forget the hope that is in us. It makes a difference.
Do I worry about the Chinese becoming a major nuclear power? As an American with children, yes. As a believer, not particularly. If they launch a missile at my home I will get to read about the follow through in the New Jerusalem Times. Do I worry about terrorists blowing up an airplane I am on? Not particularly. It will simply mean I won’t need to empty the dishwasher when I get home.
If you are going through a loss, I feel for you. I am not untouched by our mortality. I have lost both parents, some wonderful uncles, a brother and friends. Most of them have died as believers. I miss them but I try to look at it from their point of view. For them the good times have begun and they wonder what is taking us so long. For those who died unrepentant I can do nothing except try to share the hope that is in me with those who still remain.
Remember, from the world’s point of view, death is the end. They fear it. From our point of view it is the beginning.
homo unius libri
As I get older I become more and more aware of my own mortality. I have far less years to live than I have already lived. How I die might be a problem, not death itself. I know it's not the end. We are truly blessed.
ReplyDeleteOur societies would be so different if even those in the church would keep that in mind. Of course, much of what I consider the "problem" might just be personality types. Some people are much more sensitive than I.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace.