Finality

I can't help it. I have been thinking a lot about death lately. It seems that in my own little corner of the world, death has surrounded me lately. Since August it seems like there has been a constant thread on my social media feeds about people that I know or people that have impacted me in one way or another passing away. Here's the list.

1. Billy Latham - Beth's father passed away last August. This was the first time either of us have had to deal with losing a parent.
2. Andrae Crouch - OK, I didn't know Andrae, but as a worship pastor it is impossible not to feel the impact of his writing in the world of church music.
3. Lari Goss - Lari was a well known and respected writer and arranger in the Christian music world. I was fortunate enough during my time at Lee to participate in the recording of one of his projects 'God's Glorious Church' with the Lee University Campus Choir.
4. Andrew Thomas - Andrew was an friend of mine at Lee. He was a remarkable bass vocalist and one of the most compassionate individuals that I've ever met.
5. Madelynn Nelson - This was a little girl that we never knew but she was a cousin of one of Beth's classmates at CSU. She was battling cancer and she passed away yesterday.

With the exception of Beth's father, all of these people have passed away within the last two weeks. Then, on Thursday night I get the phone call that my 92 year old grandfather is more than likely beginning the final phase of his life here on earth. Here's a photo that was taken from what would probably be my last visit with him.

Oh, and did I mention that earlier this week Beth's grandfather was taken to the hospital because of a medication mix up that bottomed out his blood pressure and heart rate to very dangerous levels. He is now home and stable.

So this is why I have been thinking so much about death.

We often hear the word death and think about the finality of it that is portrayed in the world. The reality of it is that death while final in relation to our time on this earth, is really just the beginning of eternity for all of us. The pleasure, or lack thereof, in eternity for us depends on one simple thing. Have we accepted the gift of salvation that Jesus so willingly and selflessly provided for us through his death and resurrection. Eternity can be spent worshiping the Creator in Heaven or it can be spent in torment. The choice is ours.

Is it cliche to use the subject of death to take time and do a 'status check' on the condition of my relationship with Jesus? Probably. That being said, I would much rather be cliche and know that I'm ready to go when my time comes, than to ignore it and miss Heaven.