What's It All About?

A friend in grief recently asked me to share my thoughts on the frailty of life. This issue is probably the most difficult of all life's questions to face. For most of us, it is wrought with confusion of purpose and definition in addition to a desire to indefinitely continue our physical life. We are, for the most part, limited to knowledge of physical definitions. We can define our bodies. We know that we are alive. We don't know what makes our minds work, why we feel. We can replace a heart or mend a limb, but, we are seldom able to fix a mind. Spirit is beyond comprehension. We don't know what death is or means.

As children, we tried to contemplate the end of space. It must end, but, it can't end. Could this dilemma be one of trying to limit spiritual concepts to physical concepts? Perhaps our attempt to limit God to what we now of him and life is the reason we struggle with understanding our purpose and the meaning of life and death as we know it. During my years as a church pastor, I often conducted funeral services and counseled grieving families. I also prayed with and held hands with some of my parishioners as they past on from this life. These painful experiences helped me gain some greater understanding of what life and death means. I once observed to a funeral director that the passing of the last parent of a family seems to be the most difficult for the progeny of the dead. He affirmed my observation. He continued with a more profound observation. He said, "The most difficult experiences are with nonbelievers. For them, there is nothing more. Their grief manifests in emotional dispair and anguish."

Many years ago, the Archbishop of London was visiting a dying child. As he crossed the dimly lit room to the side of the little girl, he asked her if there was something he could do for her. She pleaded, "Please help me. I am afraid to die." He asked her if she would like for him to carry her into the sunlit living room where everything was bright and cheerful. She replied that she would enjoy that very much. He smiled and said," That is what God is about to do for you. He will soon be reaching down with his loving arms and lift you to a more beautiful place where you can be happy forever."

Our struggle with the frailty of life is not really necessary. We have spent our physical lives focused on providing for comfort in this life. We work, build houses, gain education, develop friendships, become popular, gain wealth, keep ahead of the Joneses and etc., all for this life. If we can focus on life in its entirety, not limit our beliefs and values to what we see, and stop trying to reduce the power of God to our limited knowledge, the frailty of life becomes almost irrelevant. There is nothing to fear. There is, after all, only one important thing to cling to. That is love.

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