"Don't Ask for Whom the Bell Tolls. It Tolls for THEE!"
(Ernest Hemmingway was on target when he wrote these words about death's certainty. No one can duck his words. The bell still tolls for us, too!)
Jim Stout scans the horizon at the ever-shortening line looking for whom the bell will soon be tolling.
Nineteen Days Before My 81st Birthday: My Changing Perspective on My Own Mortality:
**THE DAY I WAS BORN (February 20, 1942)—**Next to me, there was a line of millions of fellow humans. The line stretched way beyond my sight for thousands of miles. Countless babies, thrilled parents, delighted grandparents, happy uncles and aunts, interested neighbors —and innumerable humans of all ages and races in the world stood in that long, long line to my right. I couldn't see the end of the line. It seemed limitlessly filled with humanoids of all shapes and sizes. Adults and youth chattered and laughed, looking at the dawning sun of a fresh new day.
ON MY 18TH BIRTHDAY, the line had become somewhat shorter. On my right, still standing in that parallel line, were my family, relatives, classmates, teammates, close friends, neighbors, church friends, and countless other adults and youth from around the world. I could hear folks talking.
ON MY 30TH BIRTHDAY, the line had condensed a bit more. But it was still quite long, and I couldn't see where it ended. It was still filled with most of its original line-standing line-standers, whom I could easily hear gabbing.
ON MY 50TH BIRTHDAY, the line had visibly reduced in size—to where I could almost see its end. However, gone were both sets of my grandparents, my parents, some classmates, church members, friends, neighbors, and others. I could hear most of what line people were saying.
ON MY 60TH BIRTHDAY, the line had diminished noticeably. Missing were my brother, Aunt, and Uncle, my wife's parents, and relatives, as well as more classmates, friends, church friends, neighbors, and others. I couldn't hear some of the conversations along the line. My stamina had weakened, and my mobility had decreased a lot. I was aware of the bell's reality, but it still seemed a decade or more from ringing for me.
ON MY 70TH BIRTHDAY, I quickly noticed the formerly-long line had gotten smaller. I could still see it's ending a long way off. But I couldn't hear many of the voices because the majority were muffled. Absent were more classmates, teammates, friends, church friends, neighbors, and others. My stamina and mobility had diminished measurably. I was a lot more mindful of the bell's reality, but it still seemed years, or a decade, or so from ringing. My health "challenges" with UTIs, Cellulitis, and others awakened me to my mortality.
NOW, TWO WEEKS BEFORE MY 81st BIRTHDAY, the number of people standing in the line of life has shrunken to several scores of elderly "old people." I barely recognize the aged faces standing in the once-unending but much-shortened line. Very few faces are evident now. Most are blurred or simply changed from some 70+ years of wear. Gone are my brother and sister in laws, dozens more friends, classmates, teammates, church friends, and others. My memory of names and places was noticeably declining. My stamina and mobility have seriously dwindled. My balance and walking are more difficult. Living with losses like friends' deaths, overall health, hearing, vision, mobility, stamina, and zest for starting big, new "projects" has significantly lessened.
I am far more aware of the final bell's presence. I often think about my wife, two sons, their wives, five grandchildren, friends, missed opportunities, regrets, and what-ifs.
More and more, I think about my future home in heaven with Jesus, my Savior and best friend, God my Heavenly Father, and the dear Holy Spirit who has protected and guided me through life. I am anticipating a not-far-off reunion with my loved ones there.
Today, my emotions teem with gratitude and guarded optimism—mainly because the promises from the Bible are becoming far more relevant.
The Bible's Statements Concerning Life's Brevity and the Certainty of Death, and the Reality of Heaven
DEATH
Psalm 39:4 – "Show me, LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."
Psalm 102:11 – "My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass."
Psalm 90:10,12 – "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
1 Peter 1:24 - "All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fall."
Job 9:25 –"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away."
Psalm 144:4 – "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."
Hebrews 9:27 – "It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment."
James 4:13-17 – "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life like? You are a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes. Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him, it is a sin."
Psalm 90:10,12 – "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty if our strength endures." Yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Ephesians 5:15-17 – "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
Isaiah 40:6-8 – "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
HEAVEN
Ephesians 2:8-10 -"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast, for we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
2 Corinthians 5:1-9 – "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile, we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. The one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore, we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether at home in the body or away from it."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
John 14:2 - "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?"
2 Timothy 4:7 - "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith."
Revelation 21:3,4 - "God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
The Good News:
John 6:37 – "All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away."—Jesus
John 3:16-18 – "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Muhammad Ali - "Live every day as if it's your last. And someday, you'll be right!"
Since our lives are like a fleeting vapor, a blade of grass, we are challenged to make every moment of our lives count.
In what ways will these biblical statements change your thinking and behaviors?
Gratefully submitted,
Jim Stout
Dr. Jim Stout —drjimstout@gmail.com—www.drjimstout.com—www.facebook.com/jimtstout