A Time to Every Season Under Heaven

Life is full and death is present too. In our modern culture in the States we are somewhat insulated from the ups and downs of death, seeing it frequently only if we live on farms with livestock or poultry or occasionally experience it with our own immediate family and friends (this more often as we ourselves age).

There has been a joke here that you'd best not be a chicken on my small holding. Most of my chickens never reach maturity. There is something like a 90% mortality rate here. Chicks are taken by hawks, killed by other hens, succumb to disease, drown in a water dish, other things too. The adolescent chickens who survive all that can be taken out by a wandering, invisible disease. And of course the adults usually become dinner for someone sooner or later. Yes, don't be a chicken here on Grannie Mc's farm.

But in Africa, death is prevalent and all around. You can't miss it if you tried. Most Africans have frequent, personal encounters with death, in all its forms. 1 in 7 mothers die in childbirth or shortly afterwards. Young children get malaria, meningitis or other diseases and die because they don't receive treatment or because the treatment was too little, too late. Accidents on the road, at work, from inadequate buildings, from devastating floods, rebel armies, all take their toll.

Animals, especially, don't live long lives. Most dogs only get to 4 to 5 years of age. Cats live even shorter lives. One of my 8 month old goats ate some cloth and cassava peels and died. Another goat that was visiting here ate some part of a plastic bag and died from that. Good enough, there was a vet to investigate so we would know for sure the cause of death. Otherwise the meat would have been wasted.

In my head I know that everything/everyone has to die. But I still don't have to like it. My heart is not settled about it, despite my belief that there is a life in heaven with God. And, yes, I believe that animals are in heaven too but it doesn't say that in the Bible.

Eccleiastes can be a depressing read, unless you are already surrounded by death and loss. Then the words of hope there stand out in great relief: Ecc 12:13-14(The Message) "Fear God. do what He tells you. That's it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent, whether it is good or evil."

I have always liked "there is a time to every season under Heaven" part of chapter 3. But the parts that urge focusing on God, regardless of what is happening around us, somehow didn't register. (Maybe because there wasn't a pop song about that part.)

Now I find the need of comfort again after learning that my friend, David, has been given only a few weeks to live because the cancer is rampant throughout his body. He is ready to die, most of the time. He has buried two wives, one died from cancer, the other from complications of Alzheimer's disease. His parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws are all passed on. He is ready....and I am not wanting him to leave. I will miss him terribly and yet I will be glad for him to be released from this body and move on to be with God and his other family. He had likened this passage to graduating from high school without knowing for certain what lies ahead - a time of excitement and nervousness. He is not afraid and is working hard at making his passing easier for those he leaves behind.

If you are lucky enough to know this kind and gentle soul, you have been blessed. Please send him prayers, a card or stop by for a brief visit.