“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints”, according to Psalm 116:15. That is a view of death from heaven’s perspective. Now for a view from down here on planet earth: death sucks!
For about 10 days now I have been adjusting to the death of a friend, just five years older than me, who died suddenly of a heart attack. Ted had had heart trouble for about 15 years. In fact, just over two months ago he was talking with me about the fact that the doctors originally told him that he MIGHT live another 10 years with his serious heart condition. In March, it seemed he would live several more years. It has been hard to believe that he is gone for good.
Now, I believe that my friend is in a better place, an incredibly better place. But I am not. I am still in THIS place, and now with one less friend.
I’m glad to know that my friend, Ted Self, lived to honor Jesus with his life. I just wish he could have stayed here honoring Him with us much longer.
I’m really glad he didn’t have to suffer long in his parting. I just wish he could have parted without much suffering in 2014 or so.
We can try to see things from God’s perspective. We should try to see things from God’s perspective. It is the most healthy perspective. Still, it is not our only perspective, nor even our most impressive perspective. As I honestly attempt to view my friends passing as a “precious” occasion, I must honestly admit that his death on May 16th, 2009 sucked to me. I know that heaven gained; but we certainly lost. And I know that heaven’s gain is more important than our loss. But our loss is not, therefore, unimportant. I lost a real friend. And that sucks!
Someday, perhaps sooner than I hope and sooner than my friends and family expect, I will experience what God views as precious. I will come home – home to the Land of Friends. You see, I am a friend of God. So was Ted. I hope to see you there someday.
Spiritual perspectives on 21st Century Life by the "Often Right Reverend" Dane
The Word
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God.(Jesus - MT 4:4, NKJV)
About this Blog
Originally I built this blog to post selected entries from a daily Bible study I offer interested parties via e-mail each year. The blog entries became more work that it seemed to be worth, so I ceased posting at all . . . for a long time.
I have decided to post again. This time, I will publish my thoughts about various issues of life in the 21st Century.
May 6th, 2009 marked 30 years for me as an ordained equipping minister in the Body of Christ. I serve in a "non-denominational" fellowship, but prefer to think of myself as being trans-denominational. I readily cross denominational lines to fellowship with others who honor Jesus with their lives and doctrine. I view the Bible as God's Word - the Constitution for my life - and trust the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Court, responsible to rightly interpret and apply that Word to my life. I am what I am by the grace of God.
I have decided to post again. This time, I will publish my thoughts about various issues of life in the 21st Century.
May 6th, 2009 marked 30 years for me as an ordained equipping minister in the Body of Christ. I serve in a "non-denominational" fellowship, but prefer to think of myself as being trans-denominational. I readily cross denominational lines to fellowship with others who honor Jesus with their lives and doctrine. I view the Bible as God's Word - the Constitution for my life - and trust the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Court, responsible to rightly interpret and apply that Word to my life. I am what I am by the grace of God.
About Me
- Dane
- I came to Christ in my mid 20's. I have walked this road of discipleship for over 40 years. My life has certainly not been easy, but I have been incredibly blessed of God. I have a great wife, four children and seven grandchildren. God has given me a place of servant-leadership in the Body of Christ, where I have been able to help people find their way in Him.
1 comment:
I agree wholeheartedly that death sucks, at least from an earthly perspective. For the past year, I worked for a hospice and saw many people who were near death or who had just died, or were progressing toward death. Some were younger than I am now. I went to lots of funerals. It was interesting to compare the memorial services (and death experiences) of those who were believers in Jesus and those who were not.
I'm glad Ted (who was my friend too) didn't suffer long, as far as we know. We honored his quietly humble life as a servant last week. As far as we know, my father did not suffer long; my mom woke up one morning and found him dead. We knew his health was not good, but we didn't know it was THAT bad. The previous night he had gone to church, hugged his friends one last time, came home and paid his bills. My grandmother sat down in her rocking chair for an afternoon nap and drifted off into heaven. My father-in-law (like Ted) died in his street clothes; he also did not have to lie in bed for hours, days, weeks, or months in his pajamas. Everyone is not so fortunate. It blesses me to know that my husband's stepmother died with her hands raised toward heaven. That's a wonderful assurance to me that she saw someone or something she wanted to go toward. At the same time, however, my heart deeply regrets that we were not able to arrive at her bedside in time to be a comfort to my father-in-law, who was so very alone as he watched her die.
Aging is a wonderful/awful thing. It fills me with gratitude for what I have learned and great humility for what I have yet to learn (LOTS) about myself, God, living and dying. I don't like the new wrinkles on my face and neck. I don't like the crepe-like skin on my arms. But I love God's promise that I am being renewed daily on the inside. I remind myself that what's inside is what really counts and is what shines through to the outside.
I have told lots of my family and friends that I want to die with my makeup and especially with my lipstick on. Not that I won't look grey or sick. But I want to leave as presentable a memory as possible for those who stay behind. I hate the memories I have of the almost dead patients I saw who looked and felt awful. Death from this side of heaven IS mighty ugly.
It occurred to me this week that my sister, who is 69y/o, is only four years younger than my mother was when she died, and my mother was seemingly in better health a few weeks before she died than my sister is now. That is a sobering realization for me. My nieces and nephews that I played with and cared for when they were babies and children are all grown; most are married and have children of their own. My own first born granddaughter is 16y/o, and will be a junior in high school next year. I was the first person (other than the doctor and her mother) to hold her after she entered this world.
How does all this relate to death? Well, we either age or die. Or we age and then die. Or we die young. And, as my mom used to say, "Getting old ain't for sissies" (she was educated...it is just a cliche'). I'm starting to understand what she meant.
Part of the pain of aging is having so many friends and family members who have already left this world and are no longer with us. So we grieve their deaths even as we rejoice that they have put on immortality with a new body that is incorruptable. No doubt though, we terribly miss the time when they were in the bodies they left behind, when we formerly hugged, held, laughed, talked and spent time with them. And we try to live in such a way to leave a legacy for our loved ones so that when we die, they will remember why and for Whom we lived.
"For to be absent from the body is to be with the Lord." "To live is Christ and to die is gain."
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