An Observation About Death

A while back several people commented on my Twitter posts, noting the fullness of my life. I was actually feeling like I was motoring along at an insane pace, and their words caused me to check myself. Were the things I was doing of kingdom value or were they about me or impressing others? Had I begun to equate business with success? Was I spending enough time in solitude and contemplation? Was I just flat out too busy? What was I afraid of?

I've been reading Jurgen Moltmann's book The Coming of God, and today his words on death caused me to pause and think. Consider this one thought he offers ...

"Death sets a limit on our lifetime, and makes life short. The unconscious, unassimilated fear of death shows itself in the pace at which we live: presto! If you want to get the most out of life you have to live fast! The modern world is the accelerated world. We 'modernize' faster and faster. We move about more and more. We rush from one place to another. We 'have' ever more experiences, and use up ever more life, without any apparent speed limit - fast food - fast life! And yet the truth of the matter is that it is only the person who lives slowly who really enters into life. That person can stand still in the moment, and experience eternity in it, able to enjoy the happiness and feel the pain. But doesn't this quietude in life presuppose a hope for a life that is eternal, whatever that hope may look like? Fear of death constricts, while hope for eternal life opens a wide space for living beyond death, and brings serenity into the soul: nothing will be lost, and you are missing nothing. The person who retains a knowledge of death also cherishes the love for life - for every life, for the life of us all, for the whole of life." (p.57, emphasis added)