Musings

I was thinking today about how relentless death is. My last uncle was buried today, and I missed the funeral. It seems that none of my family thought to call me and tell me of the services. I would have liked to have been there and to spend time talking with the remainder of my mother’s siblings. There are only three of them left, and I know that one of them is struggling with her eyesight. I lots of cousins remaining, but it just isn’t the same.

Both of my parents have passed away. My daddy was an only child, so I didn’t have any uncles and aunts on his side of the family. But I grew up around my uncles and aunts on my mother’s side of the family. Mother’s family was huge by any standard, 18 in all. The last of the brothers is now gone, and three of the sisters remain. All of them are getting up in years, and so am I. We all are being pursued relentlessly by the last foe that will be vanquished, death.

When I thought about death today, I thought that it is like a komodo dragon. One of the nature documentaries said that a komodo dragon bites its victim, but the bite is not instantly fatal. The victim continues to live for a while, but the bite is fatal. It is questionable whether the dragon has venom, but it is no doubt that the bite is capable of killing the largest of prey. The report said that the saliva is filled with toxins that cause the victim to slowly die. The dragon does not have to run its victim down. No, it just takes its time, following behind the victim until it finally can go no further.

Death has a bite that does not have an immediate effect, but eventually takes down every one of us. The toxin of sin is in our system and will inevitably take us all down. Paul said, “The sting of death is sin.” The price for sin is death, and all have sinned. So death never ceases in its pursuit of human beings. Sin is a part of our human DNA. Even Jesus did not escape its fatal effect.

However, he did take away the inevitable hopelessness of life. If he had not risen from the dead to demonstrate his power over death, we would all be without hope. But because he was able to overcome death and rise from the grave, we need not fear death when we put our full trust in him.

Like my relatives that have fallen as victims of death, I will face it some day for myself. There is no fear in my heart about my end. I am confident that I too will shake off the garment of death to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.