Christian Living

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Death is a final stage of earthly life. It comes to every human being. It is inevitable.

Yet many of us don't prepare for death even though it's sure. It is often very far from our minds. We are far more preoccupied with what we do in life. We'd rather be busy with what we consider to be more important.

It is not so all the time. We learn to pay attention when we find ourselves getting sick. Or, things change inside of us when we experience in some form a point of death along life's journey. It is only then that we begin to assess the meaning of our busyness and existence.

In all of that, we begin to realize how fragile life is. It can go anytime. We therefore need to accept this inescapable limitation. We need to embrace the reality of our mortality and prepare for it while there's still time.

Death remains shrouded in mystery. So, how can you fathom it? It is not under human control. When it's really time to go, science or wealth has nothing more to offer to save us.

Yet, the good news is, there is an answer in the face of this mystery.

When God created man, everything was perfect (Genesis 1). There was no sickness, no disease, no death. But when man fell from grace (Genesis 2, 3), that is when sickness, disease, and death came along.

Sin against God is the reason why people die. Scriptures say, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God ... For the wages of sin is death ...." (Romans 3:23, 6:23a).

However, God, in His infinite wisdom did not leave man without hope. He participated
in man's salvation to defeat death. God gave man a special gift to do that. "....but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:23).

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

To live with this hope of eternal life is vital for us. For we often think that all that we do is so significant. We dress our earthly concerns with ultimacy. We think we can control things and make absolute our projects.

The hope of eternal life in Christ changes all that. It reminds us that we all die. This hope reminds us that at the end of the day, we will be empty-handed. It reminds us that our incompleteness or limitedness requires God's action to transform us.

This does not mean that there is no or little meaning in our earthly acts. Quite the opposite is true. In expecting God's participation in our temporal lives, we can work with our own hands with purpose. We can celebrate what God is able to do through us until He calls us home.

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