Today, I just came back from a friend's funeral, someone whom I had known for a long time. In fact, he was both Peter and my wedding co-ordinator, a good friend to have through thick and thin. His sudden death at age 55 brought a lot of shock and grief to many people including us. His aorta had major blockage and in fact after the angioplasty (which did not work), he had to go for heart bypass. The whole operation went terribly wrong and he was certified brain dead last Friday after 2am.
The bible tells us that our days are ordained by God, ie, God knows exactly when, where and how we will die. God knows absolutely everything about us (Psalms 139:1-6). Does this mean we have absolutely no control over when we will die? The answer is 'yes' and 'no' depending on the perspective.
The answer is 'yes' from God's perspective because God knows when, where and how we will die and there is nothing we can do to change that.
The answer can be a 'no' from our perspective because we do have an impact on when, where and how we die. Obviously, a person who commits suicide causes his own death. A person who dies because of a foolish decision (eg drug abuse) 'expedites' his own death. Likewise, a person who dies of lung cancer due to smoking and a person who dies of a heart attack due to a lifetime of extremely unhealthy eating & little exercise would not have died in the same way or at the same time if he had not smoked or had eaten healthier foods and exercised more. Yes, our own decisions have an impact on the manner, timing and place of our death.
Peter used to tell me years ago that I should be responsible for my own health, never taking my good health for granted. How else will I be able to look after my children, enjoy time with my husband, work, or minister to people if I do not see the doc when I'm sick or sleep earlier so that my body can have adequate rest? If what I do shortens my life, wouldnt I make Peter a widower, my children - 'motherless'?
I remember this scripture in James 4:13-15. It teaches me not to boast about tomorrow.
Now, listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.
I am to make wise decisions about how I live my life and how I take care of myself. And ultimately, I trust God for my life because He is sovereign and is in control of all things. In short, I am to live each day for God.
