Death is an unavoidable reality, it will happen to each of us. Since Oct. 18th our family has known 12 people that are no longer alive. Among them were Mike’s former roommate, a woman we did ministry alongside with at church -- Mike knew since his early 20s, a childhood classmate of Leslie, our son’s classmate’s father, a young child of fellow adoptive parents, Mike’s childhood Boy’s Brigade leader. All but two we know are believers -- people who had a personal relationship with Christ Jesus. Grief has been a heavy, dark cloud over our minds and hearts these past months.
One specific relationship has had immense-lasting residual effects. Ms. M, was a therapeutic provider (play therapist) for one of our kids. Her unexpected death was like a sucker punch. We’ve known her and saw her weekly for two and half years. Ms. M was an immense blessing and answer to prayer as she worked tirelessly with our son. She has a son, the same age as ours, that she’d often speak about with our child. What continues to cloak my mind is her spiritual reality upon her death. Ms. M from what we know, didn’t know the Lord as her Savior and Lord. It’s haunting to think she’s eternally separated from God. I wonder on occasion what opportunities I missed in sharing
my faith in Christ with her.
“All mankind is sitting on Death Row. How we die or when is not the main issue, but where [we] go after death,” said Billy Graham. God gives life eternal to those saved by Christ, as He conquered death. The New Bible Dictionary has this to add regarding death, “For those who are apart from Christ, death is the supreme enemy, the symbol of our alienation from God the ultimate horror. But Christ has used death to deliver people from death. He died that believers may live [eternally]… Heaven is the abode of God and those closely associated with him.” Christ conquered spiritual separation from God for eternity. One of the deaths was Mike’s former roommate, Stan.
Processing these many months has left me with a newfound ache for the Lost. At another level it has hit our family hard as Ms. M is another loss for our son who has already faced so much loss in his decade of life. Add to that three additional people we are close to, have a cancer diagnosis.
These deaths: friends, parents, classmates, elderly and the like have brought about the brevity of life that it’s easy to take for granted. We (Mike and I) are in the vocation of life and death matters. It is a humbling yet weighty place to steward.
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