Aging, Death, New Body?

This week it seems I've been dealing with or hearing a lot about death. Yesterday, 7/26, was the day that a very dear friend died 6 years ago. The beginning of the week I got an email that a 7 year old girl that was part of the Children's ministry at our church was in an auto accident and died instantly. So as I'm pondering this my dear husband is working with a hospice program as part of a seminary class this summer. I've dealt with death on so many different levels. When I was a young child I attended funerals for relatives and always felt I could see them breathing in their caskets. I wanted to tell someone so the person wouldn't be burried alive! My grandparents on my dad's side died when I hit my 20's. I had a better understanding of God's plan for our lives but still didn't view death any different, I wasn't as scared but it still wasn't pleasant to deal with. My mother's mother, my grandmother, passed away when my kids were quite young. They had to attend a funeral and so they were now introduced to what I felt. I tried to reassure them that it was part of God's plan but they were so young and so I didn't feel I was convincing or a comfort. Like I said earlier the dear friend that passed away 6 years ago-that was the first time that I felt a great loss. I know that I should have felt somewhat of a loss with grandparents but the relationship wasn't the same. Her death was very unexpected so I truly had to rely on God to help me through the grief process. It seemed there were so many days that I questioned Him about her death. One day I was driving and listening to praise music, that was the only thing that I could listen to that would comfort me, and I heard someone on the radio talking about another person that had died and that they had fulfilled their purpose so they could go home. I had never thought of death being the meaning that a person had fulfilled their purpose. I knew that Christ's death was His purpose but He also was resurrected. A whole lot of people saw Him in His resurrected body. I wouldn't see this person again until my purpose had been fulfilled.

Today, my mom sent me a short article written by Max Lucado. Read on:

HEADED HOMEWARD
by Max Lucado

Aging is God's idea. It's one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward.
We can't change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a
thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a
tulip?

Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do
gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don't
purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf
surgeons. We don't mourn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip
lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. "Watch that one," they say.
"It's about to blossom."

Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more
frail we become, the more excited they become. "Watch that lady in the
hospital," they say. "She's about to blossom." "Keep an eye on
the fellow with the bad heart. He'll be coming home soon."

"We are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which
means our bodies will be made free" (Rom. 8:23).

A re our bodies now free? No. Paul describes them as our "earthy
bodies" (Phil. 3:21 MSG). Or as other translations state:

"our lowly body" (NKJV)
"the body of our humble state" (N A SB)
"these weak mortal bodies" (NLT)
"our vile body" (KJV)
"our simple bodies" (NCV)

You could add your own adjective, couldn't you? Which word describes
your body? My cancerous body? My arthritic body? My deformed body? My
crippled body? My addicted body? My ever-expanding body? The word may be
different, but the message is the same: These bodies are weak. They began
decaying the minute we began breathing.

A nd, according to God, that's a part of the plan. Every wrinkle and
every needle take us one step closer to the last step when Jesus will
change our simple bodies into forever bodies. No pain. No depression. No
sickness. No end.

This is not our forever house. It will serve for the time being. But there
is nothing like the moment we enter his door!

I know I'm probably gonna have a difficult time when more of my friends move from this temporary body to their forever body, but I know that when that time comes God will give me comfort and another small insight into His ways.