Thursday, March 26, 2015

A Lurking Shadow

“I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
‘Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (I Corinthians 15:50-58 NIV)

It seems I have been reading a lot about death lately—more precisely, dying with grace and purpose.  People have been posting Kara Tippett’s farewell letter on Facebook (her body succumbed over the weekend to the cancer she had been battling and writing about) and I just read the blog of a friend’s daughter, who writes of her grandmother’s final days on this earth and the legacy of life she left.

Death, as one late colleague and mentor of mine once said, is an intruder.  Like a home invader, it jolts us out of the comfort of our everyday lives and reminds us of our vulnerability, that we are not immortal and that, for all of us, our days are numbered. Our tendency is to live in denial, to acknowledge the reality of death, but to assume it will not come for us anytime soon.  Yet, the proof is all around that its shadow lurks.  It’s trailing us whether we choose to notice or not.  

For the majority, the shadow causes fear.  It propels many to do whatever they can to fend it off.  Whole industries exist solely because people are afraid to die and are willing to do whatever they can to stave off the inevitable.  

Yet, what I’ve been reading, which is reinforced by this passage, is life can be lived without fear of death’s shadow.  Even when it appears on our doorstep and forces its way into our lives, we need not be afraid. For One has gone before us.  He has overcome Death and removed its sting.  When our time comes to leave this world, He is there to escort us into a wonderful Eternity, eliminating the shadow by His shining Light. The fear is not completely eliminated, but it is no longer paralyzing.  

The lives I have been reading about continued to be lived with grace and purpose to the very last breath.  “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord” resonated with them and was a reality because the shadow of death did not overwhelm them.  

Today, recognize the shadow of death lurks, desiring to cause fear to rise up within you.  But know the hope and security you have in Jesus, the Overcomer of death.  He has removed its power over you and set you free to live your life fully for Him, knowing at your last breath, He will be waiting to escort you into a whole new world full of beauty and peace.  

© Jim Musser 2015

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