«I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death» (Revelation 1:17, 18).
LIFE AND DEATH, though seemingly antagonistic, come to make sense of human existence. Those who know how to live will receive death without fear or anguish, with the conviction of the mission accomplished and the tranquility of those who know that the future does not end in the darkness of a pit or in the bleak silence of a cemetery.
God’s promise is: «Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death» (Revelation 1:17, 18). This means that a glorious destiny awaits us that Jesus bestowed upon us when He paid the price of eternal death by giving His life on the cross. This promise is for each of us.
Let us live wisely in the fear of God, recognizing that every day lived brings us closer to the sleep of death, and with it, to the day of eternal joy with our Father and Lord. How comforting it’s to know that «He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces» (Isaiah 25:8).
My granddaughter’s first cry at birth was her cry of struggle in confronting for the first time the imperatives of life on this earth. From that moment on, with the values that her parents will instill in her and with God’s blessing, she will have to overcome obstacles so as not to waste the opportunities that she herself will create with work, dedication, effort, tenacity, and, above all, with a tireless search of God’s will.
My mother’s last breath, calm and peaceful, was her message to all of us who knew and loved her—a symbol of the mission accomplished. Her last breath was her song of triumph, not a lament of defeat.
Life and death, tears and laughter, light and darkness, beginning and end are brushstrokes that every human being puts on the canvas of their existence. And finally, when the painting is complete, we will put the finished work in front of the eyes of the Supreme Artist to receive the final verdict.
Death isn’t the greatest loss; the greatest loss is feeling dead while being alive.
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Take From: Daily Devotions for Women’s 2021
«BRUSHSTROKES OF GOD’S LOVE»
BY: Erna Alvarado Poblete
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Alejandra Zavala
