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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
"A Tale that is Told . . ."
Looking back upon the lives of God’s “heroes” in Hebrews 11 will make a person think of his own life. “Have I accomplished anything worthwhile?” That question has been reflected in the literature of man for centuries. That death is the appointment all must anticipate at some time is an obvious truth. We cannot escape it. But how should we face that truth?
Paul faced death with expectation, neither fearful nor seeking it [see Philippians 1:20-24]. Some have taken their own life for various reasons, but that is not a real solution. It was Moses himself who wrote the following words: “All our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”Psalms 90:9-10.
We have been to the cemetery too often lately, haven’t we. Loved ones are gone and they will be missed. Many of you who read these words have more years behind you than ahead of you. May I make a suggestion? Take an hour or two and go through your local cemetery. Do so without the association of a funeral. Look at the names, the dates, the families and the epitaphs.
If that seems a bit morbid, think again. Some occasions on which we visit the local cemetery are sad, but they can be thought provoking.
Death awaits us all
It makes no difference how rich or powerful a person may be, death awaits us all unless the Lord returns first. Job said death is “the house appointed for all living,” Job 30:23.
Look at all the famous statesmen, heroes, athletes and leaders of the past. Just as we read in the Bible, “…and he died” are the words that describe the end of each and all of them. Even the “miracle” of modern medicine has its limits. Since that is true, rational people will prepare for that time. I’m not talking about pre-arranged funerals, but preparing our soul for eternity, for that’s where we are headed.
We will leave it all behind
In a Massachusetts cemetery lies the body of a man who lived 103 years and was the patriarch of his county, ruling the most acreage and producing the most wealth.
He died in 1912, leaving it all to his sons, who in turn lost it all due to bad business decisions. None of them were able to stash any of their wealth in their burial clothes. All their wealth was left behind. Solomon, wealthy as he was, said: “As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.” Ecclesiastes 5:15.
No, our wealth, our fishing boat, our business, our bank account, our golf clubs—all will be left behind.
The world will keep going
It’s easy to become obsessed with our own importance, thinking we are necessary to the survival of civilization. How can my family, my business, etc., survive without me? But they can, and they will.
I don’t wish to belittle the significance of anyone’s life, but the world has been able to get along without Elvis, Lincoln, Babe Ruth, Roosevelt, Henry VIII and Julius Caesar. And it will have to learn to get along without us, too.
Some die “before their time”
You need not go to a cemetery to learn that no one has been given a guarantee of any number of years. Several years ago I viewed the graves of more than fifty small children who died as a result of an influenza plague in 1895. Their gravestones reflected the grief of family and friends. The inscriptions indicated the shock felt by their community. No one had wanted those precious children to die at such a young age, but those things happen. Is that not reason enough for me think more personally about the fragile, temporary nature of life on this earth? An hour or two in your local cemetery might help you and me think about life and its brevity.
Many die daily without hope
While those children were safe, there were thousands in that lonely graveyard who were not safe, having died, as the Holy Spirit declared: “…having no hope, and without God in the world,” Ephesians 2:12.
Isn’t it sobering to consider that thousands die in sin every day without obeying the gospel of Christ, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9. If that won’t sober your thoughts, your heart needs some work.
How about you, friend? Why not take a walk through a cemetery some time. It will make you think. And it may change your life.
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“Some are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.”
“Death—the last sleep? No, it is the final awakening.”
“Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.”
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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The Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak
At a funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning ... to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
The cars... the house... the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long and hard...
Are there things you'd like to have changed?
For you never know how much time is left
That can still be rearranged.
If we could just slow down enough
To consider what's true and real,
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile.
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
So, when your eulogy's being read
With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
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