Death focuses life.

One of the graces of God is letting us be realize how close to death we are each day. It is so easy to be killed. All it takes is for one of the oncoming cars to veer off and hit you head on. Or any of the deadly cancers to ravage through our body. Or a stray bullet to hit us in the head…

Of course we should not live in fear of constant threats of death. But I think more harm can be done when we feel we are completely insulated from it. It is healthy to think about our own death. It is NOT healthy never to think about it.

A while ago, a good friend of mine experienced his best friend’s death (Cancer at young age). It shook him to the core. He became fearful of his own death and He couldn’t function normally for a good while. He eventually came out of it, but he became a different person. It focused his life. It made him think what really mattered in life and concentrate on those.

In 21st century America, we live in unprecedented wealth of health and prosperity. These ARE good things. Even a blessing from the Lord. But so often, what is meant as a blessing turns into a cursing. When it is rare to see anyone under 70 to die, we assume that we will also live that long. And that is a very dangerous assumption.

Yesterday, I went to a memorial service of a good friend of mine. And the widow, one of the godliest women I know, challenged us to prepare for our own death not vaguely, but specifically. Even if we would live on to our 90s, we would do well to prepare for it. And I don’t mean buying life insurance and such. But preparing to meet the Lord and hear His judgment on our lives.

“By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment.” 1 john 4:17

What steps will you take to prepare for your own death?

How would you live this week if you knew you only had 30 days to live?

PH