DEATH DO NOT BE PROUD

Death do not be proud. Do not boast and say you have the last laugh, do not be conceited. Your reign lasts only a short while, your hand a mere passage way to eternity. Death, you are not victorious. Death, you have not succeded.

What to say to a friend who has lost a dear family member? When is "I am sorry" simply not good enough? Can you honestly say you understand what they are feling and going through when you did not, could not, grasp the depth of the relationship they shared? Are you then a bad friend for not speaking when they came to you for confidence?

I swallow my own tears and begin to write.

How do we deal with death? Is it even possible to accept the fact that the one person who knew you so well, who carried you when you failed and who rejoiced with you in times of triumph, is simply gone?? How do you say "rest in peace" and "I'll make you proud" with a clear heart when our minds are full of doubts and questions? Why does it happen the way it does? Why does death come at a time so least expected and in a manner so unfathomable? The things we see on television, a terrible reality today.

Death, do not be proud. You have not succeeded.

The Bible gives us instructions and teaches us how to deal with such eventualities. We live in a cruel and harsh world. We are forced to deal with the fact that death is not something for the grow-ups. It is a reality. Our reality. A cold, harsh and bitter suitor we live with. It isn't fair, not one bit. The questions the survivors are left with, the financial expenses, the emotional turmoil the children go through, the grief, the pain, the suffering, oh why??

Is it perhaps something we have done? Is it perhaps our fault? Do we deserve it? How can we fix it? Can we turn back the clock and fixed where we wrongd before it happened? But we were good, surely the heavens know that? So then why all this pain and suffering?

Oh death, you are so cruel.
Did you not see? Do you not realise that you have taken a gem, a rare and precious jewel, the heartbeat of the family? A father, a husband, an uncle, a brother and a friend. All that, now gone!

Death, do not be proud. You have not won.

No amount of words can truly express how sorry I am to the bereaved family, friends and colleagues. Death is never an easy topic to talk about. It is, among other things, painful to the core and scary beyond comprehension. I am truly sorry for your loss and I pray God comforts you and gives you peace in this time of emotional turmoil.

Death is only a phase. A passage way to eternity; a place where it has no more power. Its hand rules over this life, a mere short while before it is rendered powerless in the next world. Death cannot be proud for it lives off the misery of others. It is controlled by, as many a poem have said, misfortune, drugs, illness, age and fate.

Death do not be proud. Soon you will be powerless as there is no place for you in the afterlife.

To my dear friends, I am sorry I had no words of comfort. I am sorry I could not hug you and tell you it was going to be okay. I felt I had no right to say things I had no certainty over and I did not want to lie to you. I am sorry for your loss. I will keep you and your family in my thoughtsand prayers always. I pray for peace and comfort in this time of worry and panic. The Lord is forever in control. Trust in Him always.

"...hard working hands at rest, God broke our hearts to prove that He only takes the best..."

He raised you to be the best you could be and watched you blossom into strong, intelligent young men. Go on and make him proud, he is counting on you!!!