We’re all dying. The Romans and the Epicureans throughout history drown that reality in their wine. Buddhists embrace it with the notion that we have to let go of our sense of self now, which is mere illusion anyway. Atheists try not to think too much about it. But Christianity is the ultimate defiance. We make peace with death because we can look it in the eye and say, “We win.”
We have a God who rose from the dead and promised us life everlasting. Death’s days are numbered.
Sure, we still have the pain of death. We still have to feel the sadness of loss. But all that is anchored in the hope of the resurrection. We have faith that death isn’t a period, but a comma. We have a God who went before us. And we have loved ones who went before us, who are alive in Christ just on the other side of the finish line – cheering us on.