This weekend our church community dealt with the difficult and personal topic of death. Cathy White stood before us and shared about the numerous reminders she's had in the past couple of years about how short life is. Let's be praying for her family as they continue to face health issues.
After each service I (Fred) had multiple people approach me and tell their own stories of facing cancer, losing children and walking alongside friends and family members who are staring their own mortality in the face.
Wow! I had a swirl of emotions going on inside of me.
How about you?
Let's create a bit of space here to express ourselves.
Use the comments feature to share your own journey, express your thanks to Cathy or say anything else that's been on your mind about this topic.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Life Is Short, Let's Review...
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Serving on the tech team this week I had a chance to see Cathy share three different times. It never got any less moving.
I can very easily look at how busy my life is, or at hard times I've faced in the past and feel very put upon or beaten down. But man, to hear Cathy talk about the sickness and death surrounding her and her family on so many sides made me really pull back get a better sense of perspective.
It's really easy to get caught up in the series of tragedies and triumphs that life seems to be made out of and ignore the big, looming reality of our limited existence. As Cathy pointed out, it's God's presence in that picture that gives the whole thing balance and purpose.
This past weekend my son and I took a roadtrip to Cincy to catch a Reds game. Yep, the Cubs ate them alive.
My son, who is eleven, has been asking me lots of questions lately about death. And, he has been fascinated with this "death cat" news item on CNN, etc. lately. You know the one.
Anyway, he asked me on the way up "Would I want to know when I was going to die?" He certainly would not. That led him to ask me if I was afraid of death. I told him... of course I do not want to die. I want to see him grow up and achieve all the things he dreams about (like starting guard for the Miami Heat).... BUT, I am not afraid of death. It's a fact of life... sometimes very expected and other times completely devastating. That we need to live each day to the fullest... trying our best to live the way God wants... so no matter what we can be with him (and each other) for eternity.
Tough subject for an eleven-year-old... and for all of us. But, I am so appreciative of his young heart and mind already wrestling with those issues and hopefully Crossroads and the people around him can help him live into some of those things...
Cathy's testimony was awesome (as is she). I felt she truly embodied the song we sang later in the service, Blessed Be The Name. There was just no way I could remain seated during that song after having heard her and Fred speak.
I attended last weeks message and found it speaking to my heart. I lost my father when I was eleven. At 15 I was in a car wreck in which my boyfriend was killed. At at 30, two days after the birth of my first child, I lost my brother by an accidental drowning. Throughout my life I have struggled with my thoughts and ideas of death, God's purpose, and life in general. I think I have been so strongly focused on why tragedy seems to almost consume some individuals while others seem almost untouched by it. For example, my friend of 26 had never lost anyone until this year. He lost his grandmother. However, after the message I am now less focused on the puzzling question of "why". I really enjoyed the thought stated: "I hope to live to __________". Death is a reality for us all. The best way for me to learn to aspect it and help make peace with it is to determine what I truly hope to achieve out of life. I think this is an excellent perspective that helped speak directly to my heart. In some way it helped to heal some of my wounds.
I am an RN and I work in ICU/CCU. I feel like the message on "Life is Short" was a wake up call for me. I see death every week in my job and I realized that I don't really think much about it. Death occurs and time never stops. I feel as though I am sort of numb to death. After hearing the message I have started really thinking about how short life is and how important it is to do things that really matter while you are here on earth. I know we are here for one purpose and God tells us what that is. I just want to thank Cathy for sharing her story.
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