Do You Want to Live Forever?

It was one of those days.

Work brings up a range of characters and sometimes there are ones gifted by God to test the very fruit that He has placed in you through the Spirit. (You know what I’m saying.) So the deal is to see whether the fruit will emerge or if someone a lot less tasty will pop out.

Today’s challenge, I believe, just about came to a fruitful conclusion. Just about. It was in the midst of this that a particular question cropped up.

Do you want to live forever?

It is not such a bizarre question when you consider that people can have a seemingly contradictory approach to its answer. Death is a taboo subject, despite the its inevitability. Also though we know it will happen it brings about feelings of what we call loss and grief – devastating in a lot of cases. The way it comes about also brings about distress and the suffering sometimes involved also gives heartache.

Yet our lifestyle choices only seem to bring about all the more suffering, agony and pain – whether that’s obvious physical damage we commit or worse still emotional, mental and spiritual seeds that blossom into decay.

So that is somewhat paradoxical, but then there are also some rather weird comments and philosophies on the matter. So, some people say they don’t want to live forever. Some people think it would be boring to live forever.

I think the confusion there is between the thought of continuing to exist and genuinely living. If all existence has been has been misery, pain and depression, with nothing but bad news then of course you wouldn’t want to live forever. The argument is, however, you haven’t been living at all. There are those who have not had some of the physical or financial benefits that some in Western cultures consider important life, yet they have found contentment and enjoyment in life. Under those circumstances and if there was a promise of the alleviation of pain and suffering, decay and disease, the offer of living forever would be a wonderful gift.

That’s why death is such a big deal. That’s why it causes such grief, even if it actually relieves someone of the pain they were going through. We don’t want them to go, we want them to stay – preferably to stay forever. It’s a bit like the last words you hear the tenth doctor say before regenerating …

Yet what if there is the promise that actually we don’t have to go? What if, rather in a similar way, a remarkable regeneration takes place? What if the corruptible become incorruptible and the frail and mortal becomes glorified and immortal? What if the tears were washed away and all became new and with eternal life came eternal joy, eternal peace in eternal love?

Are you telling me, you would not want to live forever?

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd