What does it mean to die, when death is not the end of living?
What does it mean to be born, when birth is not the beginning?
The word “death” may not best describe the change of venue or locale,
we all experience when we finish our time on this earth, on which we have been living for awhile.
“Death” only means we have finished our time here on earth,
it is not an end to life that began from our heavenly birth.
Words such as “moving on” or “graduating” may better convey
the idea that we still exist, we are still alive; we moved on - we did not stay.
Just as birth is the portal to earthly existence – our mortality,
so death is the portal to return to heavenly life and eternity.
Our time on earth is said to be a just drop in an ocean of years,
eternity simply cannot be measured by man-made clocks or calendars.
Life is not a “one-way trip” that ends here on this earthly sphere,
we continue on, even though our mortal shell remains here.
Returning to our heavenly home completes the “round-trip” journey,
we have new roles to play, plans to pursue with continual learning.
Just as Jesus continued to live after his time on earth was at an end,
so will our lives continue when our spirits to heaven ascend.
Our vision should not cease simply because we can no longer see
souls we know and love who have left this time we call mortality.
A person does not cease to exist simply because they are no longer in our view,
their mission carries on with all the new things they now get to do.
When a person leaves this frail existence on earth and arrives at their new abode,
they will be embraced by many who have longed for their return home.
In heaven there is great rejoicing for the return of one who has been faithful until the end,
for one who departed to earth many years before and left so many of their friends.
In our heavenly home, free from earthly pain, trials, and concern,
we embark on a new course of exciting things to learn.
Death should be a time of great celebration and serious reflection,
for one who has fought a good fight, finished their course and kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4: 7)
The good things we have done here will be restored to us there, (Alma 41: 3)
our spirits and bodies will also be united and glorified forevermore. (Alma 41: 2)
Jesus made eternal life possible - he desires to lift us to a higher place,
He gave his life to redeem us from our fallen condition so that we can eventually see his face.
Our lives had elsewhere their beginning,
trailing clouds of glory, we came from God, full of purpose and meaning.
January 2020
“Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home”
― William Wordsworth
Comments