Let me say this as frank as possible . Take this horrible teaching and cast it in the fires of hell were it has been spawned from. Death is anything but natural . It is like an invader , a thief , a violent raper of your soul . It takes , it devours and leaves you who are left living in pain .
Having read an blog entry from Denise Spenser , the wife of popular Christian blogger , Michael (also known as the Internet Monk) , I was moved by her candidness. No, he died well , going to be in the arms of Jesus , trite and clichéd stuff. She talked real. It was hard for her to watch her husband fight and waste away , dying just a few months after he was diagnosed with cancer.
He was a Christian , a pastor , a husband and father . So why did it have to be so hard , so full of pain? Real questions and honest ones.
I asked those same question when I watched my Mother perish thanks to cancer. Her last months were hard . They were not good and she fought so hard . It was through the cancer she came to trust in Christ as her Saviour but at the time that was of little help near the end. Looking back it is the world of difference but watching the horrors of cancer take its toll , your mind is clouded at the time.
When you watch someone you love dearly ,waste away fighting to live , how does the mantra or karma foolishness work for you ? Well don't be sad its just the grand circle of a cold, indifferent universe . She was nothing more than dust anyway , so be it . Or the more insidious teaching , its all karma . Really? So her suffering is the result of her living wrong and is purging her now , till she will come back as , a bug ,beetle or maybe a human to continue the quest for perfection? This hell spawned teaching will leave you deluded and if your honest , in despair.
Death is not normal. It is not the way its meant to be . We all have a feeling that broken fellowship is wrong. A person taken away from the role of father,mother,son ,daughter ,husband,wife...etc Death is an enemy .
Even though God and I had many debates,lets call them that , at the same time over time I began to hear His word . He told me , that the wages of sin is death(Romans 6:23). In Adam we all died , we all sin , no one is perfect . Mom was under that curse as well . He told me even though she came to Christ , Christians are not immune from pain , from suffering. Read the Bible , who didn't go through some deep waters. Then Jesus words started to sing in my head .
[25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26 ESV)
Then hope began to replace the doubt,anger and frustration. Perhaps for the first time in my life as a believer , I understood what Paul said with more clarity and it drove home to me what Jesus has done.
[20] But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:20-23 ESV)
Jesus took the sin that brings death , both physical and spiritual, on the cross ,so that all who repent and turn to Him will not perish but have eternal life. Death is an enemy and one that will be destroyed . Although it still claims us , it has lost its sting and the grave has lost its victory. Jesus is risen .
When Jesus stood outside the tomb of his dear friend Lazarus , he wept . from the wording its clear it was not just a tear but deep grief and anguish in His soul . So when we are in storms of life , its alright to lament ,cry out in doubt,fear,frustration . Just read the Psalms.
1 comment:
People don't ever want to dwell on death. Everybody wants to go in their sleep. Unfortunately, not everyone does. People talk about death being a natural part of life. It wasn't supposed to be, at Creation. It is a result of The Fall, due to our sinful natures. I don't know why it's so difficult. Having been through a horrific cancer, 3 years ago, I'm in a unique position. I think it's harder on the people around you. They have to watch it. I can only say, that at my lowest points, I was privileged to have My Saviour at my side. Was it still gross, disgusting and painful? Darn right. But, I could feel His Spirit's presence and hear all the Words from His Book to comfort me. I knew He would never leave me nor forsake me. I don't know if the cancer will return, but I do know that when Christ told His disciples that he would send a Comforter, the name describes the Holy Spirit perfectly. Love, mrs Reg
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