There Are Worse Things

When I lost my cousin Michael in 1997 death was a new thing for me; I hoped it would never happen again. Then, not much later, I lost my cousin Ciera. Still, death was so infrequent that I got used to it not being around. But, ladies and gentlemen, since 2003 I've lost my Grandmother, my Grandfather, my close cousin, and JUST YESTERDAY buried my mother. Death is a fact as if life is an act. Quote me.

So what now? Live in the shadow of unavoidable death? What for? Anybody that knows me knows that if I feel threatened by anything, the first thing I do is study it. Well... you shoulda been with me when I lost my cousin Mike back in '97; I've already frisked Death--- suicide too for that matter. I know what life and death are all about; I know what existence and non-existence are all about; I know what time and running out of time are all about. But these are subjects for another day's journey, and I'm glad.

No, today I'm going to add another dimension to the study of death. Today, let's talk about suffering. And I warn you; if you're don't have a strong relationship with God, don't read any further, cuz you'll prolly misinterpret my words and kill yaself. For real. Seriously...

Now from the jump, I must offer this precept as a prerequisite: I am a Christian and I believe wholeheartedly the Word of God and what it says pertaining to the afterlife; salvation comes by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and this is the only means of gaining Heaven and avoiding Hell. If you don't believe that, then this isn't for you. When my mom died, I watched her heave for days with no progress. Then she passed. Now ask me what was worse: the last few moments, or death itself? When you love someone, the last thing you ever want them to experience is pain. When we live, we experience pain. When we die, we don't experience pain. Fair enough? So, assuming that you're a Christian bound for rest in death and Heaven afterward, how is it possible that death is worse than suffering?

I shed most of the tears for my mom while watching her gasp for air and watching nurses wipe blood from her teeth and hearing her groans and gurgles. Wouldn't you? So when she passed, all I know is there was no gurglng, no blood, no gasping. Just rest. If anything, Death was a deliverer if you ask me. I know that, as she struggled, she was a testimony to the power of God to sustain us; in dying, I say she was a testimony of the power of God to deliver us. But don't you realize then when we die our problems die with us? That cancer won't see another sunrise. Guess what though... My mom will. Because she knew the Lord.

Death isn't so fearsome. Matter of fact, to the Christian, he's a friend. Matter of fact, the Christian never truly experiences death because true death is separation from God, not merely ceasing to breathe. Where God is, there is life, and that's where my mom is. So how "dead" is she? She didn't die; she only passed away. But the cancer that merely ended her time here... it's gone forever. I may be wrong, but her suffereing here on earth proved to me that there are worse things than passing away.