"I don't believe she died!" As I was rounding the corner in the grocery story these five words intrigued
me. Did someone have a sudden illness and died? Was there an accident? All manner of things crossed my mind. Now I went from hearing a passing statement to being an eavesdropper. "She was only 98, I can't believe she's gone." I almost didn't hear anything past 98. It seemed odd to me that there would be surprise around the death of a 98year old.
Mind you I know people live w
ell pass 100 these days but still. It made me think of how our culture treats death. We live in a society that tells us in subtle (and not so subtle) ways that we will live forever. Turn on the television on any given night and there are commercials for everything from facial cream to luxury cars that proclaim that by owning them we will somehow live forever.
But we know deep down that death is a part of life. We know that we too will one day shuffle off the mortal coil. And yet we deny. As Christians we are well aware that death is a part of life. We do not fear death (or at least we shouldn't), but yet we live our lives in many ways as if we will never face death.
In the movie The Bucket List the main characters decide to live out their dreams once they realize that they are dying. They live their lives as if every day was a wonderful gift with a new adventure around every turn. They became nicer and more loving, valued the people they loved as they tried to truly live each of their last remaining days. I have to wonder if that isn't our call as Christians.
We know that we will eventually die, but do we really live? Does it take a life threatening event or illness to get our attention that "life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those we love or those who travel this way with us?"
We cannot deny death but we can live the life that God has given us.
2 Corinthians 4:16--5:8
We do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling-- if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
