“No one here gets out alive”
Jim Morrison
I can’t say that Morrison led an exemplary life…….but he did find an occasional kernel of truth. The simple fact is this……..from the moment of our birth, we are all dying…….the little girl running on the playground………and the old man in the wheelchair. It has been said that there are 2 great moments in life…….birth and death.
So……how do we handle death……how should we handle death?
I have friends and acquaintances who have died.
I’m 66 years old and I have coronary artery disease. I have friends with cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, etc. It seems like every month somebody I know dies or is given a fatal diagnosis.
But here’s the thing.
We are all facing death, the only difference among us is how close it is……….and do we have a hint as to how it will unfold. We can see this current physical world clearly. But, death…….and what happens after death is not so clear. And that can be scary.
When we are young, we see a long road ahead, life is good, death is distant, and we pretty much ignore it. When we are old, it is much more immediate………much harder to ignore. And, I suppose, that is what prompted this post.
So……. how do we deal with death…….how should we deal with it? I think it depends on whether or not you accept the idea…….I would say the promise……..of a life after our death.
There are options for those who don’t accept the afterlife:
Ignore death……..denial
Eat drink and be merry…… hedonism
Severely restrict ourselves……ascetism
Live life based solely on measurable physical things…..science
Ignore the “rules”….because “you aren’t the boss of me”….crime
Spend your life telling others what to do……elitism
Climb the ladder to get ahead of others……so that you can be the richest, most powerful dying person on the planet.
There is really only one option for those who believe in the promise of an afterlife.
Seek the creator, the guy who created paradise…….. because by finding him, you can learn about your future……you can find out what is expected of you…….you can learn to make choices in this world that will best serve you and others in the long run……..eternity. This is a huge deal, since eternity is a whole lot bigger than our 70 or 80 years here.
What it comes down to is our decision about what is most important…….. maximizing our brief 70 to 80 years in this life……..or maximizing our eternity.
So…….to get back to where I started…..how we face death depends on whether we accept the existence of a creator who loves us and who has created a place for us after our death. If you accept the promise of paradise, death is the transition from this brief restricted, in many ways broken, world to a much bigger better world. If you do not accept the existence of a creator……..if you believe that this is all a giant biochemical accident………then death is the end.
Death is either a hopeful…….even joyous thing or the source of the most profound dispair in our lives.
And here is the amazing thing………the choice between joy and dispair………is entirely up to you.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
David, NIV