Wars and rumors of war. Famines and earthquakes. Political upheavals. We live in unstable times. We instinctively understand our fragility. However solid we feel, we know we’re one moment away from death. I’ve heard of three sudden fatal heart attacks in the last few weeks. Unexpected. Shocking. Vulnerability exposed. We work on taking care of our bodies, but any of us could have unknown heart disease or hidden cancer cells. It’s good to contemplate death. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” To consider one’s own death is to face reality. Unstable times help us to recognize just how fragile our systems are. The earth is not necessarily stable under our feet, not to mention manmade political systems. Food supplies, so abundant in America, are not a given.
As we begin another circumnavigation of the sun, let’s take to heart our fragility. Let’s contemplate our end and what comes after. May the Lord give us hearts to turn more fully to Him. “He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.” Isaiah 33:6