Thinking of Death (Pt 2)

With Death being so final and morbid, scholars have always tried to put a positive spin on the Bible verses talking about death. It’s like trying to gift-wrap a cowpie. Yeah, it looks nice on the outside, but it’s still a bovine turd. Doesn’t matter how much you dress it up, no one is going to enjoy THAT gift. In the scholar’s point of view, by talking about death, we realize that every day is a gift from God. And we need to spend it wisely for His Glory.

I find that sentiment, kinda funny. Doesn’t it seem at odds with the whole concept of meeting Jesus when we die? We are all taught that when we die, we’ll see Jesus face-to-face. If we believed in Jesus at the end, our sins are automatically forgiven, and in we go into the gates of heaven, with the eternal sunshine and the whole road of gold thingy. And when we finally see Jesus, we’ll be so overcome by love for him, that we’ll forget everything else, our past life, Xbox 360, “House” (Great program btw), and all that other good stuff. We would only feel the need to sing of God’s praises for an eternity.

So if this is our reward in heaven, why should we try to live life to the fullest? Why is every day a gift from God? Shouldn’t it be a curse? It’s another day spent here on Earth, away from God’s graces and blessings. Should we be happy that we’re still mortal flesh, powerless to the forces of nature and governments? Should we be happy that we hunger, and every day, our bodies are slowing down little by little? We don’t remember as quickly, our reaction times have dulled. And crappier movies get released year after year.

I’m not sure of the answers. But even though I think of death quite a lot, I’m still not ready to die. God gave us a life here for a reason. And just because I know I’ll have a chance to rest and heavenly Gatorade at the end of the race, it doesn’t mean I need to quit now. Even though I’m dead last in the race with no hope of winning, I have to continue this race, one exhausting step after another to the inexorable winning line. Why? Simple, nobody likes a quitter. Who has ever made a Hallmark movie about the runner who blows out his knee and then just sits there in the lane, crying? No, the runner ALWAYS gets up and limps his way to the finish line, while the stirring inspiring music is playing in the background, something like the “Chariots of Fire” theme song maybe. That’s what life is all about, the chance to be in a Hallmark movie of the week, played by Brooke Shields and Jason Priestley!”