Death - Tuesday September 09, 2014
"O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" 1 Corinthians 15:55
She walked with Death by her side, holding her hand. We walked on the other side, holding her hand tightly, but knowing that when she let go, we would have to release it. Death had put his mark on her-my mother, at 86 years old, victim of a rare disease called cortico-basal syndrome, had her head bowed over by degeneration of the neck muscles. She could only take in small bites slowly; the effort to chew and swallow was her major work of the day, and swallowing liquid always carried the risk of choking, which was scary and also sapped her energy. So Mom lost weight and looked like a little skeleton at 90 pounds, but with good skin tone, a lovely head of silver-gray hair, and a smile which, though increasingly rare, brightened the day of anyone gifted with it.
I have always thought of Death as The Enemy. It's a curse of the Fall, a consequence of Adam's sin. God's plan was that we all be young and mature in a perfect world eternally, with work to do and harmonious relationships.
In my mother's case, I came to think of death as a gift from a merciful God who knew that our bodies would decay in a fallen world. Living trapped inside of a crippled body, unable to take care of herself, legs like toothpicks, arms bent like birdwings, took lots of grace. (Mom received it.) Heaven is God's solution, opened to Mom by the blood of Jesus. (She believed that.) Her faith allowed that beautiful smile to surprise people. Death came as a friend, a gift, not an enemy. Heaven is all the more real for us left behind.
Submitted by:
Dotty Vanderhorst
Cornerstone Community Church
Overland Park, Kansas
One-Year Reading Plan:
Isaiah 3:1-5:30
2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Psalms 53:1-6
Proverbs 22:28-29
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