Today’s topic, death, is a complex one best left to the theologians and religious scholars to sort out the details. At the same time, this subject is not meant to be a downer. Quite the opposite.
Not sure when I started reading the obituaries. Maybe it was because my mother did, even as a younger woman. Or maybe it was I just wanted to keep up with the small town news that invariably included notices of who was born and who had died. However, one day I began to feel sad with each successive description, particularly those of children and young people, so decided to stop.
There is a certain truth in the old axiom that bad news travels fast. It didn’t matter if I scanned through the obits or not. If I needed to know, the information somehow made its way to me via a friend or family member.
Thinking about death, another’s or our own, is likely not how we want to spend too much time. On the other hand, I have discovered one huge benefit from at least a passing awareness that we too shall be among those brief descriptions of personal musings and biographical facts.
The benefit? Being aware we have a finite amount of time in this world can be a great incentive to be and become the person God has created us to be; to live out the mission or purpose unique to each of us.
Each day presents us with a plethora of choices and actions. Given we know not when it will be our time according to God’s will and plan, why not choose those that will help us be the best we can be with the time we have been given?
Am I uncomfortable with death? Why?
How do I feel about the reality of finite time that has purpose and meaning?
What one choice or action can I make today to be or become the person God has created me to be?
