DEATH!!

I have had another thought occupying my mind lately. Recently, an old friend of mine died from liver cancer. He was 58 when he died. I recall a lot of the things we talked about and argued about and laughed about. I really can’t believe he’s gone, but, he is. He now knows something that we all only imagine or speculate about….being dead. I believe the bible and what it says will happen but that’s not even what I have been thinking about. I have been thinking about wasted life. Death is inevitable…it will happen to ALL. But, do we all need to have a wasted life? I have read of men of valor living life with great cause and dying a valiant death, I have heard of men dying for their loved ones or friends or cause, I have heard of misguided men dying for the wrong reasons…but, in all those stories it seems that those men were living for something (whether right or wrong) and then died in some effort while doing that “living”. They had something to live for and died while trying to live for that.

So, it made me wonder…What am I living for? I know I will die…but, am I just lingering around until then?

My wife made an interesting point when we discussed my friend. She made a statement that went something like, “well, with cancer he probably had time to get his affairs in order and get right with God.” I would agree. Part of my angst with his death are comments that he made in his life about getting to heaven and the like. So, it would seem like cancer might have been merciful as horrid as that sounds.

But, what about those that believe? We should have our affairs in order everyday. We should know what we are living for and pursue it with vigor…unto death even.

I know that a lot of people think that believers are believers because they are afraid to die. My dad believes that. I don’t buy that for a minute…don’t get me wrong, I am not looking forward to whatever process would lead me to death…but, death itself, at this present time, causes no fear in me…The thought that is gripping me is if I am going to waste my life. Countless hours doing nothing that matters…things like: TV, surfing the internet, wondering what you are going to buy next, etc.

I think it’s time that I created a priority list…then lived it out with all I’ve got mainly because death is not the end..It’s only the end of hard part.