Death and Life

Have you ever experienced the dawning of a truth? Recently I have. It isn't an immediate realization of something but a slow rising knowledge that builds in steps as information is made known. A slow enlightenment of sorts.

The final step in enlightenment for me, which I must say was very powerful, came at the comment of a friend who is a vegetarian. You see, I am not vegetarian and my friend and I, respecting each others dietary choices, occasionally engage in good-natured verbal sparring over whose choice is right. Her parting comment was, "Yes, but at least it doesn't involve the senseless slaughter of innocent animals." That comment coupled with having watched a brief portion of a television show where the participants were "transported" back in time to live as cave men made the point for me. The participants in the show came to the difficult position of needing to kill to survive and found themselves impacted by that event in a way they didn't expect - mourning the life of the animal with gratitude realizing its death would give them life. It became a very spiritual event.

That's when I had an Aha! moment. That is exactly what God intends - the realization that for us to live means there must be death. We may not ever be able to fully understand it, but that is His plan. Whether we kill a plant or an animal something must die for us to live. That is His picture of salvation. And how much more impact than when the life of an animal - an innocent animal - must be taken for our survival. I realized then modern society has become too far removed from the natural process of providing sustenance for survival. It has become too impersonal and we have lost sight of God's true meaning of death for life.

God intends for us to be personally impacted through every day events which provide the sustenance of life. Without that impact we lose touch with His very personal plan for our eternal life - Jesus death for our life. For me it now makes perfect sense when I look at it in that light. For my physical being to live something must die. For my eternal being to live there also must be death - and God provided that through Jesus. That was His once-and-for-all plan and promise. Eternal life only required death once.

It was out of God's great love for us that He gave the life of His Son Jesus in death so that we would live. Then to prove the power of His promise Jesus returned from the dead - something no animal, nor plant, can do.  Life is given through death - and I am grateful. Are you?