A wise person once said, "If you live long enough, you had better be prepared to live with loss." At 51 years of age, I experienced my first significant loss when my mother passed away last week. One of my comforts during this difficult time has been the fact that my mom did not experience the loss of any of her children, grandchildren, or great-grandchildren. What a blessing! If only that were true for everyone. Some of you reading this have lost a child or a grandchild, perhaps a sibling or even a spouse. I cannot imagine the grief you have gone through! Those of us who work on the African continent cannot escape the reality of untimely death. You cannot be in Uganda or Ghana or Congo long without learning that your friend has lost a child or a sibling or a parent. Funerals are as normal (and as frequent) as the rising of the sun. Death is, as they say, a part of life.
Perhaps I am drawn to the African people, ultimately, because of their perspective on life and death. Despite the hardships of life, and the frequency of unexpected and untimely death, they never lose sight of their reason for existence. They exist not to become wealthy, powerful, or famous, but to relate in love, first to their God, second to their families, and finally to their communities. This describes my mom, too, and I hope that it describes me as well. When I reach the end of this life, may I leave surrounded by those who love me, ready to hear the voice of Jesus welcome me into eternity, where I will see not only my mom, but my African friends who have gone before me. The words of William Featherston from over 150 years ago still ring true:
I'll love Thee in life, I will love Thee in death,
And praise Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
And say when the death dew lies cold on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now.
