“Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Words in the Shadow of Death

I recall my last trip to be with my mother in Ontario. Final words stay with us. She had returned to the hospital for the fourth time, facing the final stages of infirmity often paired with 87 years of living. On this visit, she was alert, comfortable and talkative. Geography and obligations dictated that this was probably the last time I would talk with Mom face-to-face. We talked about what mattered. Our words had a clarity, honesty and depth found in the shadow of death. We acknowledged that God held her days – not the doctors, personal wishes or physical determination. There were decisions that demanded attention, but I resisted the distraction of action. I chose to sit, talk and listen. To receive from God whatever it was He wanted to give. To release to God whatever it was He chose to take. These moments of life were shaped by the brevity before us – a truth taught by Desert Fathers.

Desert Wisdom

A “seeker” approached one of the Desert Fathers and asked, “How should a man live, so as to please God?” The elder replied, “As if he were to die tomorrow.” The elder believed that the reality of death would provide a foundation for a vibrant godly life. Wisdom invites us to consider death as an impending reality. Since death can reach us at any unpredictable moment, our days should be lived with death in mind. But that’s not our practice.

We have lost touch with death. It is hidden within hospitals, delayed by miraculous cures, mentioned in whispers and ignored until it’s unavoidable. We don’t like to talk about it with one another. We don’t like to think of our own mortality. We want to fill the stage of our lives until the curtain comes down. But the fact that the curtain will come down is the way that we can fill our stage in meaningful ways. The certainty of death helps us to live well. How?

Accountability Before God

Since death is an appointment we cannot escape, acknowledging it will guide our current decisions and actions. If you were to stand before God today, how would your present moments be affected?  Moses wrote that counting our days will lead to wisdom.

Detachment From Life’s Fluff

Much of what we work and worry about is not eternally significant. We are easily entangled with matters that have little priority before God. We find ourselves loving the world we can touch, and delaying the eternal issues. The reality of death strips our values to a blessed few.

Focus of Gifting and Calling

If time is limited, then there is less of it to waste. God’s purpose for us becomes central. If this day was your last, every moment has meaning. You would spend it carefully.

Deepen Our Relationships

We never know when our words with one another will be the last ones we have. We can be moved to authentic and significant connections by the press of death.

Morbid Talk?

I am sure that some of you reading these paragraphs wonder if I am depressed or dealing with terminal news.  Neither is true. But it is true that we struggle to recognize death without feeling morbid. We think that all this talk about death makes less of life. We have it backwards. Facing death allows us to face life well. The good news is that you probably won’t die today. But if you live in a manner that you might, your day will have a significance and gratitude shaped by death’s shadow.  Historically, Lent has been a season to consider our personal mortality and adjust our lives accordingly. It is a pause in life’s party to reflect on reality. The reality of our sin and judgement. The reality of Jesus’ death. The reality of Jesus’ victory and grace. The reality of living the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection every day. The celebration of Easter is greater when our death is nearer.