Death is a part of life. It is the end of life on this earth. Some of us believe in life after death. Some of us believe in eternal life. Some of us think our bodies will rot in the ground, and that is the end.
Regardless of your thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and experience, I think that we can all agree that someday we will stop breathing. At that moment, we will know if we were right or wrong. We will know the answer to one of the world's most asked questions because we will have faced death face-to-face.
A Childhood Memory
Michael entered the world 9 months before I did. For 3 months each year, I boasted that I was as old as Michael. We were best friends. I looked up to him. I wanted to be like him.
At the age of 3, Michael could not get over the cold. Weeks of sickness lead to weeks of tests. Instead of overcoming a common cold or flu, our family received grave news. Michael was diagnosed with childhood leukemia.
I don't have any memories of Michael with hair. Chemotherapy made his hair fall out as a child, and genetics would have done the same as an adult. I do remember playing hours and hours of Atari with him. I remember playing hide-and-seek and feeding the calves.
I remember when his skin looked pale, and he did not enough energy to play. I remember the shunt in his chest and that we could not always wrestle like we wanted to.
I remember the day Michael went to the St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, but then he never came back. He had made that trip many times, but his body was no longer capable of raging war against his enemy. He had lost the battle with cancer.
A Man I Knew
My time overseas was a tremendous blessing for me and my family. We meet many wonderful people.
I am reminded of a couple I knew. The man was older, much older than his wife. There was easily a 20 to 30 year gap in age. Some people might say that he was "robbing the cradle" or that she was "digging for gold." All I know is that they loved each other.
The husband was a tall, strong looking man. Even though he was easily in his 50's you could tell that he could still work hard. He looked fit. He looked healthy.
The husband became sick, and it was weeks since I had last seen him. As we entered the room, I was shocked. He was a shell of the physical man that I remembered. For several weeks, he had been starving to death. A once strong, filled out frame now could not hide his bones. His large hands were feeble and weak. He could not sit up, he could not shake hands, and he could not even greet us with a hello or goodbye. Death was consuming him. Life was leaving him. And on that day, I say death in a way that I hoped to never see again.
A Man I Just Meet
Visiting local villages was always an interesting event. On this trip, some friends from the United States accompanied me and some Indonesian friends to a village that was over 5 hours away.
We were welcomed with open arms. Members of the community fixed local specialty dishes to commemorate the occasion. But the celebratory spirit would not last.
One lady asked that I come to visit her father-in-law. He had been sick. Much to my surprise, yet again was looking at a man who was being consumedd by death. He too was wasting away from startvation.
How do you comfort a family you do not know well? How do you comfort a man you have just met, whomayy only have hours to live? I prayed. I prayed for a miracle. I prayed for physical healing and more importantly for spiritual reconciliation.
As my heart ached, I prayed. Weeks later I found out that the man had passed way.
Final Thougths
Some people say the only guarantee in life is Death and Taxes. As I write my heart hurts. These memories of death are still vivid. The pictures that are etched in my mind cannot be erased. I have seen death.
Though death appears to be victorious, I believe that eternal life will be victorious. I look forward to my forever home. One not built by the hands of man, but rather prepared by the Grace of God.
- Have you seen death?
- How have you dealt with the loss of a loved one?
- Are you ready to die?
- Do you believe in life after death?
I want to heard from you. Leave your comments below.
@SumatraNate
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/hiding-boy-girl-child-young-box-1209131/
