Here's a poem that lifts thought to the heights of Life that knows no death.
Sent in by a reader…
LIFE OF LOVE
I do not believe in death;
I could not lose my life of Love.
If you should cease to see me here
Know that I laugh and love somewhere
Near to you, as near to Him.
Like brown turf that greens again
or sleeping tulips that rise once more to bloom
I too have shed the dormant thought
And with clearer view
See Him, myself…and you.
Mark my leaving with no sadness
or ceremony to record a lie,
Just love the best you saw in me
And let all else between us die.
To those who would be impressed, reply,
“But she did not believe in death—
Nor do I.”
~ Mary Ellen Knoblock
Showing posts with label funerals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funerals. Show all posts
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Life not in a shell
I’m going to conduct a funeral service today for a family in town whose patriarch passed on this weekend. In looking for words of comfort to assure my audience their beloved family member is still alive and well I thought about my son’s hermit crabs he had years ago.
Hermit crabs are little critters that live in shells. They jet in and out to get food, but mostly stay in their shell protected from activity in their environment.
Hermit crabs also grow up. They get bigger, and in the process need bigger shells to live in. They move out of their “starter homes” into larger living quarters and leave the old place behind.
People passing on is much like a hermit crab moving from one shell to another. The physical body is a “shell.” We seem to occupy it for a span of earthly life, but like the crab is never part of his shell, we are never part of the physical body. We have spiritual being at-one with God that is not material. It is immortal. It never dies. The different shells may fade and disappear over time, but the identity of the one who thought they occupied the shell, never expires or fades away.
Life is eternal. It never ends. Temporal existence on earth ends, because this is not our final resting place. Heaven is home for every child of God, and we can be assured that regardless of what happens to a material shell on earth our identity and individuality as a child of God goes on forever in the realm of Spirit where all is well and healthy.
Hermit crabs are little critters that live in shells. They jet in and out to get food, but mostly stay in their shell protected from activity in their environment.
Hermit crabs also grow up. They get bigger, and in the process need bigger shells to live in. They move out of their “starter homes” into larger living quarters and leave the old place behind.
People passing on is much like a hermit crab moving from one shell to another. The physical body is a “shell.” We seem to occupy it for a span of earthly life, but like the crab is never part of his shell, we are never part of the physical body. We have spiritual being at-one with God that is not material. It is immortal. It never dies. The different shells may fade and disappear over time, but the identity of the one who thought they occupied the shell, never expires or fades away.
Life is eternal. It never ends. Temporal existence on earth ends, because this is not our final resting place. Heaven is home for every child of God, and we can be assured that regardless of what happens to a material shell on earth our identity and individuality as a child of God goes on forever in the realm of Spirit where all is well and healthy.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Funeral notices
Have you ever questioned the phrasing “called to the arms of the Lord” when it is written in obituaries? It troubles me when I read the words for they imply it is God’s will for a person to die, which I don't believe is possible.
God promotes life, not death. Death happens in the human experience, but not at God’s bidding. God is our Life, and the divine design is to save us from death and disease, not capitulate us to them.
When I read in my local newspaper that Reba Denton, a woman I don’t know, had been “called to the arms of the Lord” after she died of cancer, I stopped reading and issued a mental revision. “She had been in the arms of the Lord all along,” I affirmed, “as a dear child of God. She had never left God's care to be returned."
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” the Bible tells us. In the big picture scheme of eternal salvation, death is not a friend but an enemy, to be overcome by eternal life. God calls us to understand this truth better now so we can more successfully overcome disease here on earth and prevent unfortunate passings.
Life is God’s will, not death.
God promotes life, not death. Death happens in the human experience, but not at God’s bidding. God is our Life, and the divine design is to save us from death and disease, not capitulate us to them.
When I read in my local newspaper that Reba Denton, a woman I don’t know, had been “called to the arms of the Lord” after she died of cancer, I stopped reading and issued a mental revision. “She had been in the arms of the Lord all along,” I affirmed, “as a dear child of God. She had never left God's care to be returned."
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death,” the Bible tells us. In the big picture scheme of eternal salvation, death is not a friend but an enemy, to be overcome by eternal life. God calls us to understand this truth better now so we can more successfully overcome disease here on earth and prevent unfortunate passings.
Life is God’s will, not death.
