Reflections on a Quiet Sunday: Life, Death, and the Divine
It is Sunday, and ordinarily, it is supposed to be a day of worship, particularly for the Christian faithful. In whatever we do, it is important to reference God. Even if we choose not to, we should still remember that a time will come when we cease to exist. As human beings, we should reflect on our final moments. The fact that we can’t predict when our last moment will be is what scares me the most, because any moment could be our last. That’s why death is an inseparable part of our human existence.
In fact, I often ask myself why people don’t think more about it. Or perhaps they do and just accept it as part of life. As many would say, “Whether you do good or bad, you’ll still die,” so they conclude that one might as well do whatever they like. Hmm, it's deep. Although I’m not a religious extremist, I do believe in God, and I believe His existence is evident in our lives and the world around us.
Many have argued that if a divine being truly exists, then why is there so much evil in the world? To me, the answer lies in the fact that God gives us free will; the ability to choose our actions at any time. When it comes to the concept of the devil, I believe humans can be the real devils, as we often covet what doesn’t belong to us. We strive to possess the world, forgetting that we will one day leave it all behind. Ecclesiastes reminds us that all is vanity, a chasing after the wind.
As we grow older, we begin to understand life better. We become more reflective, sometimes lonely, and often left with our thoughts. Life is worth living, but we should live it with the aim of fulfilling purpose and helping those in need as much as our strength allows.
Back to what I was saying initially; I didn’t go to church today. It's not that I didn’t want to, but I felt a bit fatigued from working in the garden yesterday. Although, that shouldn’t be an excuse. Anyway, it happens. The church I usually attend is a bit far now since we relocated. It used to be about a 12-minute drive, but now it’s around 30 minutes, if not more. It’s not that there are no churches nearby, but I just don’t like going to them.
Someone suggested that I try attending one of our denomination’s branches nearby, which is within walking distance, about a 30-minute walk. I don’t think that’s bad, but I’ve never really liked moving from one church to another. Maybe I’ll consider it once in a while; I’m still contemplating it.
Aside from church, I spent some time today reflecting personally on life and everything happening around me. Life is certainly worth living, but we should live it as if we could cease to exist tomorrow. If we live with that mindset, we won’t have many regrets.