Life and Death

When I was a child, my Mom used to work as a Hospice nurse. Hospice is a wonderful organization that provides in-home care for terminally ill patients by giving comfort and dignity through the uncertainties and fears of impending death. This is such a worthy cause, but as you can imagine, the emotional strain can be great on the caregivers who build relationships with patients only to watch them die.

It takes a special kind of person (like my Mom) to help people navigate through the last steps of life and then lead them by the hand into eternity. As a boy, I accompanied her to many patients’ homes, and my worldview was rocked by the reality of death. Most folks live their lives in a comfortable illusion where they consider themselves invincible until the inescapable truth of our own mortality finds them by surprise. Life looks completely different when you’re staring at death, and the knowledge that our end is near brings a perspective that can radically change a person’s worldview.

The unlikely intersection of my childish naivety and the harsh reality of death birthed in me a very unique perspective. I became fascinated by the stories and thoughts of these people who were preparing to meet their Maker and I was struck by the consistent parallels I saw played out over and over. Whether these people were young or old, black or white, rich or poor, man or woman, in the end, these discriminating details of life seemed trivial, but the things that emerged as most important seemed universal.

What are the things that will matter most to you when you're staring at death? What relationiships will you wish you would have spent more time developing? Are those your priorities now? The great philosopher Tim McGraw says "Live like you're dyin" (there's some good theology in country music)! Don't wait until the end to start living the life God has called you to live today. Life is short enough as it is.