In recent days, death seems to be one of the primary focuses of every aspect of our day to day living. From the moment we wake up each morning, the world, our governments, and yes even our own sense of self-preservation seems to be telling us to filter every decision we make through the lens of the possibility of death. Some of us have never been more intimate with the concept of death. Many of us have never had to face the fact of our fear of death. A worldwide pandemic will do that.
For Believers in Christ, we can take comfort in trusting Christ. When He is directing each new season, any uncomfortable new direction, every difficult next step, we don’t have to fear. Likewise, we don’t have to fear the possibility, the prospect, or the promise of death. Now, none of this erases the fact that I suffer a great deal of anxiety when flying. No one looks forward to the tragic death of any type of crash…or the agonizing suffering from a suffocating virus. In case of an emergency, I'm going to make sure to follow all the rules to give myself the best chance of survival. You see, for Believers it's the process of death that we don’t want to face. But just like the caterpillar that, after already shedding dead skin multiple times, enters the cocoon process and essentially dies to what it was, so do we sometimes have a dying process to endure in order to be transformed…in a literal sense. Whatever the process, we can trust Him when our next leads to death.
We may endure many “deaths” in our spiritual lives (our old way of living, speaking, giving, serving; and viewing and interacting with the world and humanity) and emerge from the cocoon of transformation with a new lease on life and everything God has in store for us on this earth. But I want you to remember that nothing can compare to the unspeakable gift waiting for us in eternity…the end to all suffering…the glorification of our bodies…the culmination of our Faith…the vindication for every sacrifice…the joy in exchange for every tear shed…the rest to end all striving…the reward that can only be gained through the process called death. Let us be wise and kind and honor the laws of our world. But if God's path for our lives on earth ends here and now, let us stare death down with a smirk and a twinkle in our eye. Trust Him. We are the real winners!
With Great Expectation,
Dawn~