There are many that are afraid of death. There are many that look at death as the final punishment for a horrific life. There are many that believe that there is nothing to look forward to; that once one is done here on this earth there is nothing more to worry about. There are many that believe that at the time of death the dying has control over their life that they can look for angels to rescue them and take them to heaven because they were good enough. God or what we have made into God, loves enough to let anyone who tried their very best into His perfect heaven. After all, that is what love is, right?
As I have the joy (yes, I said and mean joy) of watching my 80 year old Grandpa pass from this world to the next, I have noticed many things. For many, death is tragic; there is no hope or joy in the death of a loved one. This to me is so sad. How can one live and continue believing that once a person is gone, they are gone forever? This offers no hope for me at all. Not something that I want to believe in. Then there are those that want to believe in God but not conform to His standards and what He says. They will release their loved ones to angels, not knowing that even the angels were created by God HImslef and are considered to be lower than we human beings are. After all, doesn’t the Bible teach that God sends His angels to minister and protect His children? Why should an angel be the first thing a dying person sees, why shouldn’t they see the face of their Creator, their God, and their Savior? I believe that this is always the case for the adopted children of God, which brings me to another point….
When you accept Christ as your Savior, you are part of the family of God. You are chosen by God to be a part of His family, to showcase love, respect, and honor to the other members in your family. Yet, there are many that can not even show love to their own birth families (and I will admit that there are many times that I am unloving and even angry over choices and actions of members of my family, BUT that is not where I want this to go sooo… I beg your forgiveness if I have ever offended or hurt you, we are family and I do love you.) Often times a death rips a family apart instead of bringing it together. How often do we hear of that one relative that plunders through everything after the funeral to make sure they get exactly what they want, with no thought or feeling to the other family members? Death, when looked at through this scope is tragic, something that is not to be celebrated or embraced, but something to be scorned and hated. How can one have peace watching the death of a family member?
I believe that the answer to this, and any other life issue, can be found directly in the Bible, God’s word. Indeed Psalm 139 tells us that God formed us in our mother’s wombs (making no one person a mistake or an accident), and that He alone has numbered our days. I believe that when the Bible says in Ephesians 2 Christ knew us before He created the foundation for the very world that we live on, that He loves me enough to want the best for the life that He alone created. I also believe the Bible where it teaches that the only way to access our Creator is through Jesus Christ, (John 3:16-18; Romans 5:8), that it is Christ alone through His perfection that can give us access to Heaven (Romans3:10, 1 Peter 3:18), and that for the true believer and follower of Christ, death is not the end but the beginning of a victory! (1 Corinthians 15:56-57)
Knowing this, having this hope and this peace through my relationship with Christ, I know that death is not the enemy. Family matters to God. Our lives, even the mundane details matter to God. How we live, the choices that we make matter to God. Death, for the Christ Follower is not a punishment but a blessing. It is time that we begin to act that way.
I love you Grandpa, and when the time is right, I will see you in Heaven, with my Jesus! Until then, I rest knowing where you are. After all, “To live is CHRIST, to die is GAIN!” Philippians 1:21
