You, Me, and Death

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Eccl 7:4)

It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.  As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.  (Eccl 9:2)

Lord, help me to see more of my own weakness now, that I may trust you more.

Death makes us think about earth in a different way.  I say this because right now I am in the midst of watching my mom die.  She is in the late stages of terminal cancer, and I and my brother and sister are watching her suffer and grow weaker by the day.

My mom was once an independent woman.  She wanted control over her world.  In that sense, she was not much different from you and me.  We all want to control our lives.  But in death, she is losing control, and as I watch my mom die, I see my future self.  In fact, I see the entire human race.  Death is God’s ultimate statement that you are not in control.  Death is God’s reminder that you and I are weaker than we think. 

Of course, I already knew that I was weak compared to God, but watching my mom die adds something important to my knowledge.  I don’t just know I am weak.  I feel it.

And that, I suppose, is a good thing.  It helps me see reality.  Even if it hurts.