Faithfully yours - The great equalizer

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Published on Sunday, February 5, 2017

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

Had they lived, they would be in their late 50s today. But they didn’t. Their lives were lost when a fire destroyed their home. Their funeral was the first of many I have conducted in the last 40 years. It is firmly etched in my memory because of the tragedy that took two precious lives.

Over the years, I have come to see death as one of two great equalizers in life. Death shows no regard for age, social status, gender or family ties. It can come suddenly or after a prolonged period of suffering. And when it comes, all opportunities we have to do good deeds, strengthen relationships, make a positive impact on those around us or repair damage done by our actions die with us and can never be recovered.

The writers of Scripture do not mask the reality of death. King Solomon said: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.  (There is) a time to be born, and (there is) a time to die.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) His words are affirmed by the writer of the New Testament letter to the Hebrews who reminds us that “Everyone is destined to die once.” (Hebrews 9:27a) 

There is no escaping the reality of death. It is a great equalizer. It will claim us all one day—and the only one who knows when that will happen is Almighty God. He is the one who determines when people are to be born and when they will die.

The other great equalizer is time—a commodity we often waste because we think we have a lot more of it at our disposal than we really do. Sometimes we need to go through experiences that show us how frail we are and how quickly life can change or end.

That’s what my family experienced 11 years ago when my wife had a stroke. Her recovery has been nothing short of a miracle—something I have written about at some length. In the process, she taught us one lesson that we have never forgotten: “Learn to live life one day at a time.”

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rebuked those who constantly worried about the future. “Do not worry about tomorrow,” he said, “for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34) Jesus wants us to focus on today—on this day—and on the opportunities we will have to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

But that’s not how society tells us to live. Society wants us to think about and get involved in huge projects that will take generations to complete--saving the planet, eliminating poverty, working for equal rights and fighting for world peace. Society never tells us that we should live each day as though it’s our last—because one day, it will be! That doesn’t serve their interests.

So we need to start thinking about what we can do today, with the resources we have, to make life better for someone we know—someone from our community who could use our help and will appreciate our acts of kindness. As one writer put it: “Today is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God and to God’s world.” Use this day wisely. Serve God by loving and serving others. Then, if this should be your last day on earth, you’ll be able to enter the life to come knowing that the first words you’ll hear from God will be: “Well done!”