ONE

Death—A Blessing or a Curse?

Death is a great mystery. The mere possibility of it—our own or our loved ones’—often terrifies us. We hate death, because it takes us away from those we love. So, many prefer not to think or talk about it. It’s easier just to ignore it. However, death is part of life, and we cannot avoid it.

The Bible tells us that death entered the world with sin—the sin of Adam and Eve:

Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned. . . . [B]ecause of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man . . . to condemnation for all men. (Romans 5:12, 17–18)

We long to live—and live longer. We desire that our friends and family not part from us. So it’s natural to ask: Why would God punish us with death? Couldn’t he have allowed us to go on living forever? Couldn’t he have found a less dreadful way to punish us?

Some get angry with God when a loved one dies, especially if the loved one was a young child. “Why did you allow this person to die? Why didn’t you answer my prayers and save this person’s life? Why, why, why?”

God has a joy-filled answer for us, if we are willing to listen.

THE TRAIN OF LIFE

There is a famous story about Oliver Wendell Holmes, a former Supreme Court judge.

One day Holmes got on a train leaving Washington, D.C., and took a seat. Not wanting to waste a moment, he opened his briefcase and began working. Perhaps it was some case he was reviewing for the court. At any rate, he got absorbed in his work and lost awareness of his surroundings.