By: Elizabeth Haarberg

Control

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

Many phrases in western culture are centered around control and “will power,” such as focusing on working harder, trying harder, restraining from certain foods, getting up earlier. I think you get the idea. Most self-help books and articles for improvement are informing people all the ways their life could be better. An area that many people don’t seem to focus on is life and death, the mysterious beginning and end of a human on earth, until the subject is thrown in our lap to have to think about and deal with.

One observation is the stark difference in how our culture treats life and death; you only need to go as far as a baby shower versus a funeral. One is typically portrayed as a happy event where the other is full of grief and guilt among a host of other emotions potentially. For contrast, let’s look at how Jesus describes death.

“He said, ‘Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.'”
Matthew 9:24 English Standard Version

“‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.’ Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus has died,'”
John 11:11-14 English Standard Version

In both verses, he says the people are “sleeping” but why? If we have eternal life that means we go to “sleep” here and wake up somewhere else. Death is not final; it’s a passing through.

“He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”
1 Peter 1:3-4 English Standard Version

If you are struggling with thoughts of what death will be like for you or someone you love, have hope that there is more than what our eyes see here. The plan after we take our last breath here is not the finale, just a chapter that is ending to live another chapter, that is pain-free and worshiping God forever.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado