The Final Awakening

Many think that our greatest enemy is death. Is it? Others say that life is a dirty trick, a short journey from nothingness to nothingness. Is it? Is death the last sleep? No. It is the final awakening. For a Christian, death is the turning off the light because the dawn has come, which ushers the believer into eternal and blissful union with Jesus Christ. Hence St Paul longed to die. “My desire,” he said, “is to depart and be with Christ” (Phil 1:23). He saw death as the greatest gain possible. And yet, he knew that there was still work to be done for his people. The inscription “I expected this, but not just yet” could well be written on his gravestone. We need to have a similar balanced view of life and death. As Christians we need not fear death, but look forward to it as the fulfilment of life. And yet, we should accept the remaining time left on earth, to carry out whatever allotted to us in God’s plan. Our place in God’s plan may not be exalted. It could be the lowest place at the table of life. But we are sure, God would say in heaven, “Friend, go up higher” (Lk 14:10). Our humble submission to God now will one day pay its dividends. Humility is not the depreciation of ourselves, but appreciation of God’s plan for us.

Meditation On Bible Readings: Phil 1:18-26; Lk 14:1,7-11