Dear Readers,
I hope that you are having a productive day so far. My day is going great because I have been working on my mini-proposal in preparation for my comprehensive exams. In any event, the day has been pretty quiet. But I went online earlier and I found out that one of my Oakwood University classmates passed away. It is sad when death happens but we must know that God knows best. Today, I will talk about death and how we can support one another during this tough time.
Let's begin.....
1. Death comes at unexpected times. You are never prepared for it and it can feel like you are being hit with a ton of bricks. But it is during these times that you must realize that it was their time to leave this Earth. We cannot determine how long we will live but we can do the best that we can while we are alive. Even though death is unexpected, we must do our best to prepare for Christ's Second Coming.
2. Death bring us to a realization that we are human. Humans were created by God. But due to the Fall in the Garden of Eden, death became a part of our existence. We were born to live and born to die as well. But our human existence is important because God created us to fulfill a purpose in this life. As we live, we must know that we have a certain amount of time to live and we must make the best out of the time that we have left.
3. Death shows us that we are all sinners. We have sinned many times and God still finds a way to forgive us. But death is the price that we have to pay because of the Fall. In any event, we were born into sin so it is not uncommon that we still sin. Overall, death helps us to realize that we need to get our lives together while we are alive. No matter what, when you die, there is no more time left to improve your life.
4. Death brings out the best (and sometimes worst) out of people. When you pass away, other people will be able to see who really liked you and who hated you. It is amazing that people wait until you die to express how they really feel about you. But it is best to keep it positive when death occurs. If you have negative comments, you should have expressed it to the person before they died.
5. Death can be a wake-up call to your family and friends. In families, people tend to rely on the strongest person for advice and various other things. But when God chooses to take that person, it is not because he is trying to be mean. I believe that God wants us to rely on him and no one else. When that person passes away, it will show you that you need to focus more on God. He will mend your broken heart and he will give you the strength that you need so that you can go through this difficult time.
6. Death can bring families closer together. Some families are so divided that they cannot agree on anything. There are people who tend to take sides on everything. But when death happens, people have to come together so that they can work out the details of the funeral. Perhaps God is trying to mend fences that have been divided for years. People need to come together so that they can console each other during this difficult time.
7. In death, we can support the family as they go through this tough time in their lives. Now is not the time to offer advice or to say what you think God is trying to tell the family. God is his own mouthpiece and he does not need humans to speak for him. If you are going to support the family, do so. But do not offer advice to them that they did not ask for.
8. In death, we just want people to listen to us. We want people to be there for us day or night whenever we want to talk. We want to be able to express our feelings to someone who will not tell other people. Basically, we want someone to confide in. In times of bereavement, people need a person that they can go to when they want to talk about their feelings and the reasons why they are crying. As much as possible, do what you can so that you can be a listening ear to someone else.
9. In death, we want to ask God "Why did this happen?". But we must know that he created us.....we did not create Him. He does not owe us any explanation on why he chose to take our loved one. But he often takes us through tough times so that we can learn to rely on him. He is the only person who can help us to understand life and our purpose on this Earth.
10. Death shows us that God is in control. He holds all of the planets together but he takes care of his children on an individual basis. He sees our tears and even our frustration when death happens. But the best part of life is that one day, there will be no more death. We will be reunited with our loved ones and we hope to live happily ever after in the Earth made. But for today, we have to know that God knows best. He knows what he
is doing. But we have to trust him to lead our lives each and every day.
I dedicate this blog entry to the life and legacy of Mr. Marlon Hill.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away!
(Revelation 21:4)
