During your earthly pilgrimage, you face numerous dark episodes. Your life is full of disappointing events. Some of the challenges that life has brought your way leaves you wondering exactly why you had to experience them. Perhaps, the ultimate dark shadow of life, though, is your departure from this life to the next.
As you ponder the thought of death, you realize that it is inevitable. That day will come. As a child of God, your destiny is assured, but your view upon death may make you feel downcast. An aged Scotsman, while dying, was asked what he thought of death and he replied, “It matters little to me whether I live or die. If I die I will be with Jesus, and if I live Jesus will be with me.” Wow! That is a great attitude to have and sure helps in your view of death. No matter if you live or you die, you will not do it alone; Jesus will be with you.
Scripture talks about death. It gives the Christian some encouraging words: “we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home of absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:8-9). Yes, the trials and tribulations you face on earth motivate you to want to leave this world and go to heaven. Life down here often times is anything but utopia. You desire desperately to go to heaven where your existence is a state of utopia. Notice, what is important to your life either in your earthly life or your death; it is that you are “to be pleasing to Him.” Do not agonize on being alive on earth or dying, or even looking forward to heaven too enthusiastically. Focus your attention on “pleasing” the Lord Jesus.
That dark shadow of death is inevitable to happen in your life. Don’t focus on its coming, just live each day focused on “pleasing” Christ!
