The Last Appointment

I went to a cousin’s funeral today. It was his last appointment, the one appointment we all have, unless the Lord returns in our lifetime.

I reflect on something the Leathersmith, who had come to my house just this morning, said: “as we grow older, we more easily identify with the person and death. We visualize ourselves or a loved one or friend in the place of that person, and it makes us realize that none of us are immortal.”

Often, at a viewing, my eyes will fill with tears, because I realize that it could be one of my own – mother, husband, child, or brother. I know life gets shorter, as we grow older, and the appointment is closer each day. But, really, none of us were promised tomorrow. Our next breath could be our last.

II Peter 1:10 says …..”brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: “

I want to make sure my ‘calendar’ is up to date, that my appointment doesn’t slip up on me unexpectedly, like the bridegroom’s return did for the five foolish virgins, who had not kept their lamps trimmed. How sad, not to be ready for that last duty in life.

Death