Death is not one of those topics that people look forward to considering. One survey said at least 35% of us are "death avoiders." That means they do not want to think, talk or even consider anything remotely related to death. We know people like that. It is a bit like discussing religion and politics where few agree. This is a sad thing to me. To be human is to know that death is as much a part of life as breathing. Statistics show that one out of one of us will die sometime. We may not like that fact but there is little we can do to change it.

No one told me when I started the ministerial journey just how much death would play a role. It was a lot of trial and error for me during the first few years to grasp that. Fortunately I spent a week in a seminar dealing with life and death issues. The lessons learned there would be sharpened over the years of ministry. I know that I may not be perfect but God allows me to do some duties in a death event that may go overlooked.

Anyway, the point of all this is that we may need to remember life has its limits while we are on planet Earth. Some funerals in the past were of those who lived a long, full life with God's blessings. Sometimes the funerals were tragic in nature. There were services with caskets much too small for people much too young. I presided over funerals with a room full of people eager to hear from God. I also presided over a few that only had a handful attend. On occasion I even assisted the funeral home workers in preparing the body to leave the hospital or the home. I am 47 years old but my life rubbed elbows with death far more than most.

One of the gifts of such a life is in learning to appreciate each day. I spoke to one of our members over the last few years who faced a terminal diagnosis. Would you believe that I envied him in some ways? He could look to what is truly important in life for direction every day. He could make up his "bucket list" of what he wished to accomplish. I told him that I knew each day could be my last even without a diagnosis. He reminded me always that life is in God's hands. We will say more about this in a later post. But for now, isn't God's hands a good place to be in life or in death?

Bro. Trey