The knowledge of the inevitable is a chance to prepare. Often, we don't take the chance that is given to us. It's a lifelong chance, for we have all of our lives, starting today, to prepare. It seems that something as inevitable as death would be attended to by all, but instead we avoid it until it overtakes us.
If we die instantly and before our time, we don't know what hit us. We laugh at people who plan their funerals and choose their burial garments. We hope it won't happen to us, while knowing it will, and that it could be any day. We ignore children when they ask questions about death, preferring to judge them as incapable of dealing with it, when really it is the incapability of us adults. As a result of being unable to face the inevitable, we die without our affairs in order, and without consideration to the ongoing lives of our loved ones.
If we care about those who will live after us, we can show that by beginning today to get our affairs in order. If we want to be good stewards of all that we've been given, we'll make time today to begin to prepare for our loved ones to have a smooth transition when we are gone. We can love the ones we love by facing the fact that because we will be departing, we need to work to lessen the burden of those left behind. We can begin to face the inevitable and leave a legacy of Godly preparation.
For this God is our God, for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.
(Psalm 48:14, King James Version)
May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you.
(Psalm 25:21, New Living Translation)