On Untimely Death and the Best of Days

I recently picked up and finished another of Chuck Colson’s thick and thoughtful books. These are always meaty and extremely relevant works. I am a great fan of this humble servant. He is a great apostle of the kingdom.

I had borrowed The Good Life from our church library, but never quite finished it. In fact, it was buried in a huge stack of books on my bedside table. Determined to get it back to the church library, I settled into my pillows in bed one night and flipped toward the back of the book. Ahhhh, yes! The Good Life!

Let's see, where did I leave off? Ouch! No wonder. I was apparently stuck on one of the final chapters, A Good Death! Is there any such thing? I wondered how many people who were attracted to this book because of its congenial title would even make it this far? It’s true, we all love to read and talk about the good life, but is it any wonder that Colson chose to leave this chapter til the end?

Colson describes the full, long life of Bill Bright. Of course he referenced standard verses, “to live is Christ and to die is gain,” for example. Then Colson writes, “It is a very healthy thing to live knowing we are going to die... We can enjoy every stage of life, including old age and final illness, entrusting our lives to God’s care. We need to accept the seasons of life and learn what God has to teach us through each.”


I paused, and questions rose up like bubbles in a wave. What happens if we don’t? What about when you wish you could turn back the clock and reverse the seasons? Yes, the world attempts to prevent, postpone or at least ignore death, but in the end, death forces us to seek what matters in the time we have. Colson asks, if we were assured of living forever here on earth, would people ever feel their need for God? Would parents feel the need to guide their children? Would children ever have to care for their parents? Would we even value one another at all? It really makes you think doesn't it?

Then he changes direction, addressing the deeper question: It's one thing to talk about death for the aged who lived a good life and loved the Lord, but WHAT ABOUT those who die young? He’s touching the raw nerve and I am cringing. Do I dare go there? Now? Frank's unexpected and untimely death still baffles me.

Colson continues, “This seems, on the surface, to be terribly unfair. For the Christian believer at least, there is the assurance that this life is NOT THE END—except in the sense that it is our last earthly witness. Sometimes our deaths can be more powerful than anything else we’ve ever done in our lives.”

This final statement was weighted with TNT. It’s true. Because of the life he lived, it may be that Frank spoke louder from an early grave than either of us ever imagined. Had he been 83 instead of 53 that surely wouldn’t have happened. It's almost as though death punctuated his message and accentuated everything we valued about his marvelous life. Death inadvertently called attention to everything he loved and lived for... his undying affection and devotion to grace, an infectious humor, an unexpected candor, his zeal for life.

The terrible shock of it caused people to sit up and take notice. Many were drawn to evaluate their lives. People were moved by God’s presence and His story of grace in our lives. Some came to salvation, others to surrender. Priorities were changed.
Death can do all that.

And how can it be? The memorial service felt more like a wedding than a funeral. It was truly turned into a celebration of gratitude for a life well spent. There was rejoicing knowing that Frank was in the presence of the Lord he loved. The pain was gone and his struggle had ended. An eternal perspective can do that.

But what about me? I wondered. I'm still at the part where I have to "accept the seasons of life and learn what God wants to teach me through each one." I'll tell you honestly, sometimes I wish I could just get to the end of the road a little quicker!

Yet, as Paul wrote, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed..." (Romans 8:18) So, in the meantime, until I get to go to see the face of my loving Lord, I look at life as a necessary process that is fulfilling his purposes and bringing me closer to the best of days.

Colson ended with these words: “Live each day as if it were the best of days and the last of days. And when the last of days comes, live it as the best of days.”

In other words, to the one who knows where he's going and knows Jesus on a first-name basis, make it count and finish well, cuz soon we're going home.

Let me ask you this. Do you know where you're headed? Don't just follow blindly down some beaten path.

Dear friend, if you don't know Him personally, if you're not sure where you stand or where you're going, make sure you settle the matter quickly.

We're already living in the last of days.


Besides, no matter how old we are, from 3 to 103, I think death will always feel like an untimely visitor. We were created to desire LIFE!

+++++++++++++++++++++++