“God has the last word on death.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2013-04-29) from his book, Facing Your Giants: God Still Does the Impossible (p. 94). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

I know, I know this can be a morbid subject.  But for many, this is the giant they need to face.

This next week, I will be headed into a new decade.  I will be 70.  And there are some emotional complications with getting older and getting closer.  My mom is in her 90’s which means she is getting very close.  Death is a difficult subject, isn’t it?

Max says, “God has the last word on death. And, if you listen, he will tell you the truth about your loved ones. They’ve been dismissed from the hospital called Earth. You and I still roam the halls, smell the medicines, and eat green beans and Jell-O off plastic trays. They, meanwhile, enjoy picnics, inhale springtime, and run through knee-high flowers. You miss them like crazy, but can you deny the truth? They have no pain, doubt, or struggle. They really are happier in heaven.”

He goes on, “And won’t you see them soon? Life blisters by at mach speed. ‘You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath’ (Ps. 39: 5 NIV).

“When you drop your kids off at school, do you weep as though you’ll never see them again? When you drop your spouse at the store and park the car, do you bid a final forever farewell? No. When you say, ‘I’ll see you soon,’ you mean it. When you stand in the cemetery and stare down at the soft, freshly turned earth and promise, I’ll see you soon, you speak truth. Reunion is a splinter of an eternal moment away.

He then says, “There is no need for you ‘to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope’ (1 Thess. 4: 13 NIV). So go ahead, face your grief. Give yourself time. Permit yourself tears. God understands. He knows the sorrow of a grave. He buried his son. But he also knows the joy of resurrection. And, by his power, you will too.”

No, I’m not going to get morbid about turning 70.  God has been and is being so good to me.  But yes, we are all no matter our age getting closer.  But we do and can have hope.

So, how is your relationship with God?