A Brush with Death
It was approximately 6:00 o’clock in the morning when the telephone started ringing. A hysterical woman was frantically screaming but I didn’t recognize the voice on the other end. Calm down I replied. Finally I recognized the caller; she was a close friend of mine. She was desperately trying to tell me, she thought her daughter just died.
“What did you say?” I immediately stated. I think my daughter just died, she replied. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. My heart beat accelerated. I tried to digest the news still ringing in my ears. Did you call the hospital, what did they say, I exclaimed? While we wait to hear from the doctors, let’s pray for the Lord’s mercy and grace.
Tears filled my eyes as I hung up the phone. I desperately tried to think; that phone call left me speechless. So I called on Jesus name, repeating it over and over again. Jesus—Jesus—Jesus my mind began screaming while my brain was still processing the gravity of the situation.
Stunned – I began to walk the hallway of my house. Jesus—Jesus—Jesus, my mind was still trying to comprehend. So I prayed while I waited hoping for a positive conclusion. Suddenly the telephone rang. What seemed like hours really only took a few minutes. It was my friend stating her daughter was still breathing. As I hung up the telephone I began to pray all over again. This time I thanked the Lord for answering my prayer.
As I looked back on what transpired, my friend’s daughter almost overdosed from a doctor’s prescription. You can be here one day and gone the next. Life as you know it can change in an instant.
People pass away every minute of every day. From the elderly to a new born baby, God has an appointed time when we will all leave this earth. Death knows no color, no race. It has no boundaries, it does not discriminate. From the rich to the poor, it’s the one thing we all have in common. It will happen to every man, woman and child one day.
Unintentional, unplanned, accidents happen when you least expect it. Like an overdose of medication or a deadly car collision. You can be healthy one day and a serious illness befalls you the next. These are just a few life altering situations people experience every day. Are you prepared should it happen to you one day?
Several days later I began to wonder. Was her daughter prepared to leave this earth in an instant? Was she prepared for judgment day? Are any of us prepared to face death should it happen unexpectedly? Death is a condition we will all eventually experience, there is no escape. Death – redirect your focus, stop taking life for granted.
How do you prepare for life after death? Preparation is not about wills, life insurance or funeral arrangements. That preparation is for the living, the loved ones you leave behind. From dust we come, from dust we shall return; void of thought or memory. Salvation is up to you, eternal life with Jesus Christ awaits you. Obeying God’s Commandments is the preparation needed while you’re still breathing. That’s your insurance policy.
Eternal life depends on how you live your life. Love your neighbor as yourself; love God with all your heart. Death is not final if you live a righteous life. Life after death with Jesus Christ is only possible when you obey all of God’s laws and status.
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” -Titus 1:2