Of Death

Death and it's ramifications seem to be an eerie, recurring theme in my life as of late. It has shown up in my reading material, in my music in sermons at church and in life. I've started to wonder if God is trying to get something across to me (as if).

Quite a disconcerting combination. I know I've written about living life to the fullest before, but this is marginally different.

Two incidents have been the primary catalyst for this line of thinking.
Specifically there have been two nasty wrecks, involving other teens recently. One was girl and her sister who pulled out in from of a truck. The younger girl was killed. Also a car full of students from High Point Christian Academy was in a wreck. Two of the occupants were killed.

Everyone throws around phrases like: 'life is short' and 'you never know when you'll die.' For me though, those ideas have begun to really hit home.

It presents an ago old, yet always relevant question. If I knew for certain I was going to die, how would my actions reflect that knowledge?

The funny part is, we already know that death is coming. What is the old saying? Only two things in this life are sure, death and taxes. That is probably a true statement.

Here are some interesting lyrics from one of my favorite artists, Jon Foreman. In case you weren't aware, Jon is also the lead singer for the band Switchfoot.

And I said, please
Don't talk about the end
Don't talk about how
Every living thing goes away
She said, friend

All along I thought
I was learning how to take
How to bend not how to break
How to live not how to cry
But really
I've been learning how to die
I've been learning how to die

How beautiful and profound. Ecclesiastes also comes to mind (something else I've been reading).

(Eccl 3:20 [ESV]) All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

Even with these truths becoming more evident to me, I still don't live as if I were dying. I haven't been learning how to die.
I don't die to myself everyday and take up my cross, I ignore the eternal impact of my actions in present and I waste this precious gift of life I've been given. What will people say of my at my funeral? What would I want them to say?

May God give me the strength to truly Live.

Thanks For reading

Levi