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| "Jesus said, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." John 14:6 NKJV |
I had a conversation yesterday with a
woman who is a new acquaintance to me. She tells everyone who will listen about the many
serious illnesses she has had in the past few years, so serious that it can only be
by the mercy and grace of God that she is still walking around to
tell the story. But, this is someone I do not know well. I do not
know if she is a believing person. I do not know if she credits God
with her survival or not. If she does, I haven't yet heard her acknowledge His hand in her healing.
Yesterday, when we crossed paths
briefly in a parking lot, I was shocked by the story she told me of
her plans for her burial. I never asked her about that – but this
is what spilled out when I complimented her on her outfit and asked
if her favorite color is blue. This is what she said.
“Oh, yes, I do love blue and choose
it a lot. But, my favorite is pink! I have selected an absolutely
beautiful pink gown to be buried in! I also have a pink slip I want
to wear under it! Then I found the perfect pink blanket and had my
name quilted on it, which will cover me half way in my casket! I
will be wearing Mickey Mouse socks on my feet! All of us (me and my
sisters!) will be wearing Mickey Mouse socks in our caskets!”
She told me all of this with great excitement, as if she cannot wait to get there. As if it is the prom she is preparing for instead of her own funeral. I admit to being blown away by the cavalier, superficial way she seems to have prepared for her death. She seems to be thinking of this as another party she gets to plan. Another opportunity to shop til she drops and make a fashion statement, one last time.
This is a woman who, although deathly ill in the past couple of years, has substantial wealth to buffer her from the reality of death and what that really means for her. She seems to have buried her head in the "stuff" she surrounds herself with, like a child who pulls the covers over his head to keep from going to school in the morning.
She told me all of this with great excitement, as if she cannot wait to get there. As if it is the prom she is preparing for instead of her own funeral. I admit to being blown away by the cavalier, superficial way she seems to have prepared for her death. She seems to be thinking of this as another party she gets to plan. Another opportunity to shop til she drops and make a fashion statement, one last time.
This is a woman who, although deathly ill in the past couple of years, has substantial wealth to buffer her from the reality of death and what that really means for her. She seems to have buried her head in the "stuff" she surrounds herself with, like a child who pulls the covers over his head to keep from going to school in the morning.
I cannot adequately describe her thrill
in telling me all of this. She spoke as if she delights in imagining
herself in this setting, perfectly outfitted and the envy of all who
would gaze upon her. In her casket. A tiny little detail that she
has minimized to the point of insignificance.
Has the thought occurred to this dear
lady that underneath the perfect, pink dress and the perfect pink
slip and the hand-quilted blanket and the Mickey Mouse socks, her
body will be dead? Does she realize that her body will already be
corrupting underneath the perfect pink outfit and that no-one would
even come near her were it not for the skills of an undertaker who is
able to mask the odor of death, briefly? Does she realize that
faster than she can even say “Mickey Mouse” she will be in the
presence of her God to give an account of the life she has lived?
Does she realize that there are a few issues a bit more serious to
deal with than the socks on her dead feet? Has she planned for where
she will spend eternity as carefully as how she has planned for how
she will look in her casket?
Admittedly, I do not know this lady
well enough to answer these questions. But, I fear that the reality
of death is eluding her, even after serious illnesses that should
have gotten her attention.
I am reading a book right now by Randy
Alcorn, If God is Good. In this book, Alcorn proposes that
God may sometimes allow suffering in our lives as an act of mercy.
To wake us up. To give us an opportunity to experience, ever so
slightly, what hell will be if we die without Jesus. Could it be
that God, through the shock of suffering in illness, is constantly
laboring to get us to the point of finally choosing Him over all our
other “toys” while there is still time?
Without Him, we are lost. We are
headed to hell. Forever. We will not have the comfort of friends to
cheer us. We will be utterly alone. We will not have pretty things
to distract us. Our suffering will not end. Nothing – money,
clothes, vacations, friends or loved ones will be able to rescue us.
It will be too late. Dressing up in pretty clothes and wearing
Mickey Mouse socks won't help us to deal with the issue of where we
will spend eternity.
Only Jesus saves. THE most sobering reality there is...
THIS MAY SEEM STRANGE TO YOU BUT IN MY FAMILY ITS QUITE NORMAL . MY OWN MOM GOES INTO FULL DETAIL HOW SHE WANTS TO BE BURIED . THAT'S THE CATHOLIC IN HER , BUT I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU MEAN . PEOPLE LOSE SIGHT OF WHAT A FUNERAL REALLY MEANS .
ReplyDeleteYes, Lottie, I have run into people who focus on the details of their burial. But this disturbed me because of the total excitement with which she described her death. This is delusional thinking, in my opinion. In a materialistic, self-absorbed culture, like ours, this may be the final distraction Satan uses to keep us from focusing on what matters the most - where we will be in a nanosecond after death. By the way, this woman is not catholic!! :))
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