How does death change your perspective?
James 4:14 ERV – “You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a fog. You can see it for a short time, but then it goes away.”
There is a transformation that happens when death knocks at our door. We learn that life is precious and not promised to anyone. It doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t care what race or gender you are nor what age or body type you possess. It hits the “beautiful,”the “common,” the celebrity and the social influencer alike. It doesn’t care how rich or poor you are, how “normal” or emotionally challenged you become! Death randomly chooses the educated or ignorant, the hero or the victim, the murderers and the pedi files. It is a finality we all will face. A common event that binds humanity together! How will we choose to live knowing that?
How humbling?! Praise be to God, 2022 marked my 50th year of life. As we grow older, we see more and more the reality of death. It’s real. It will be realized by everyone. We will all face it.
Still in the trenches of raising a family, I think it’s become more evident how this reality impacts LIFE. As a believer in the Word of God, I trust when God writes everyone has a purpose to fear Him and keep His commandments (Eccl 12:13-14). I also trust that His love for us is BIGGER than anything we could ever imagine…including death (Rom 8:38). When we allow our heart and mind to be lead by the fear of death (to us personally, or anyone we love) then it’s like I’m carrying this 100lb weight on our backs while actually trying to live our lives! That sounds crazy, right? We would never intentionally do that, but it’s what happens when we allow the fear of ANYTHING cripple us from stepping into the purpose God has for us. Life was meant to be lived loving God first, and then loving self and others (Luke 10:27). Knowing that eternity is the other side of life may challenge our minds to pívot in adjusting to this general purpose for our lives. As we grow in that purpose our sphere of influence is impacted with the light only God can give rather than the fear that darkens our hearts and minds. Death is the end…a separation, but life has new beginnings…daily!!
What we do on this side of life is the legacy we get to write! How we allow death to impact that, is our clincher to expand…choose the joy that only God can give…even in and through death’s grief and grip.
#togodbetheglory
Growing Sunflowers 