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[In some ways, Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) is a hero of mine. His life
story and his writings (The Vanishing American Adult; Them: Why We Hate Each
Other and How to Heal) hit close to home. He is the same age as my oldest
son and was a ‘Neighboring Westerner’ as we lived across the border in
Wyoming 32 years. This is an article written by Tyler O’Neil on the recent
events of Ben’s life]
Moments of true clarity are all too rare in our pampered, distracted lives.
We seek endless entertainment, filling our days with buzz, gossip, sports,
and movies to avoid the inevitable truth: we are all going to die.
Unlike our ancestors, we don’t witness death constantly. We don’t even
consider how lucky we are to have escaped what they faced-infant mortality,
death in childbirth, more frequent wars, and ever-present disease and
poverty.
So, when someone like former Republican Senator Beb Sasse announces that
he’s been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, it puts us face to face
with our own mortality.
Sasse, at 53, had to tell his parents that they’d probably be burying their
son. He had to tell his daughters that he wouldn’t be there to walk them
down the aisle. Then, he gave the world this news-and he also gave the
reason for a hope that is in him.
“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence,” he wrote. “But
I already had a death sentence before last week, too – we all do.”
Even insulated from the constant experience of death as we are, we know that
death is coming. It’s nearly impossible to watch the news without hearing of
death: the death of Renee Nicole Good, the death of Scott Adams, the death
of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk-who left a wife and two very young children.
Each death is a tragedy, but each death also presents an opportunity for us
to learn. When my time comes, I pray I have the courage and faith to face
death like Ben Sasse.
Sasse announced his “death sentence” two days before Christmas, and he said
the season of Advent was a fitting time to do so.
Why? Because Advent isn’t just the four weeks leading up to Christmas, it’s
also a time for Christians to look forward with anticipation to the Second
Coming of Jesus. It’s a time to “orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s
to come.”
For those who don’t know, Jesus promised that He would return to earth from
heaven, that the dead would be raised, and that those who accept His gospel
would enjoy a new kind of life, where every tear will be wiped away.
Christians don’t earn this eternal salvation-it’s only available for us
because Jesus himself paid the penalty for our sins, and God calls us to
follow him, to love others, and die to ourselves.
Sasse rightly noted that this isn’t some “abstract hope in fanciful human
goodness,” or a “Hallmark-sappy spirituality,” or even a reliance on our own
strength. It’s a “stiffer” hope, the hope of those walking in darkness who
have seen a light off in the distance. It’s the hope of God telling Abraham
that he will give his descendants the land of Israel-after they spend 400
years in Egypt. It’s the hope of God telling the Israelites in Babylon that
they’ll be able to return home-after 70 years in exile. It’s the masculine
hope that gives us strength to hold out amid tribulation, because the
destination is worth the journey.
Sasse said it’s the kind of hope you shout, “often properly with a gravelly
voice soldiering through tears.” This hope “doesn’t dull the pain of current
sufferings,” but it does put them in a new perspective.
None of this means Sasse-who attended Harvard as a wrestling recruit-is just
going to throw in the towel. “I’m not going down without a fight,” the
former senator writes. “One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jaw
dropping advances science has made the past few years . Death and dying
aren’t the same – the process of dying is still something to be lived.”
Sasse viscerally feels the pain of losing the muscle he was so proud to have
put on as a youth. His body is breaking down, but he isn’t giving up his
fighting spirit. Most importantly, he’s using the last few public messages
of his life to share something important with the world. His hope isn’t
found on earth, but in the promises of Jesus. Ben Sasse may not be able to
stop the decay of his body, but he can encourage us to take hold of the
thing that gives him the most important hope.
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but I tell you a
mystery: this mortal body will put on immortality. Though worms destroy this
body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
We work hard to distract ourselves, but the truth of our mortality will
break through, sooner or later. Is there a reason for this kind of hope
within you? I pray that there is.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
At the same time, pray also for us,
that God may open to us a door for the Word,
to declare the mystery of Christ.” (Col. 4:2-3)
—
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www.avast.com
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[In s=
ome ways, Senator Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) is a hero of mine. His life story =
and his writings (The Vanishing American Adult; Them: Why We Hate Each Othe=
r and How to Heal) hit close to home. He is the same age as my oldest son a=
nd was a ‘Neighboring Westerner’ as we lived across the border =
in Wyoming 32 years. This is an article written by Tyler O’Neil on th=
e recent events of Ben’s life]
Mo=
ments of true clarity are all too rare in our pampered, distracted lives. W=
e seek endless entertainment, filling our days with buzz, gossip, sports, a=
nd movies to avoid the inevitable truth: we are all going to die.=
Unlike our ancestors, we don’t witness=
death constantly. We don’t even consider how lucky we are to have es=
caped what they faced—infant mortality, death in childbirth, more fre=
quent wars, and ever-present disease and poverty.
=
So, when someone like former Republican Senator Beb Sasse&nb=
sp;announces that he’s been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer,=
it puts us face to face with our own mortality.
Sasse, at 53, had to tell his parents that they’d probably b=
e burying their son. He had to tell his daughters that he wouldn’t be=
there to walk them down the aisle. Then, he gave the world this news—=
;and he also gave the reason for a hope that is in him.
=
“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a dea=
th sentence,” he wrote. “But I already had a death sentence bef=
ore last week, too — we all do.”
Even insulated from the constant experience of death as we are, we kn=
ow that death is coming. It’s nearly impossible to watch the news wit=
hout hearing of death: the death of Renee Nicole Good, the death of Scott A=
dams, the death of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk—who left a wife and two v=
ery young children.
=
=
=
Each death is a tragedy, but each death also presents an opportunity fo=
r us to learn. When my time comes, I pray I have the courage and faith to f=
ace death like Ben Sasse.
Sasse announce=
d his “death sentence” two days before Christmas, and he said t=
he season of Advent was a fitting time to do so.
Why? Because Advent isn’t just the four weeks leading u=
p to Christmas, it’s also a time for Christians to look forward with =
anticipation to the Second Coming of Jesus. It’s a time to “ori=
ent our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.”
=
=
For those who don’t know, Jesus promised that He would return to =
earth from heaven, that the dead would be raised, and that those who accept=
His gospel would enjoy a new kind of life, where every tear will be wiped =
away. Christians don’t earn this eternal salvation—it=
’s only available for us because Jesus himself paid the penalty for our sins, and God calls us to follow him, to love other=
s, and die to ourselves.
Sasse rightly n=
oted that this isn’t some “abstract hope in fanciful human good=
ness,” or a “Hallmark-sappy spirituality,” or even a reli=
ance on our own strength. It’s a “stiffer” hope, the hope=
of those walking in darkness who have seen a light off in the distance. It=
’s the hope of God telling Abraham that he will give his descendants =
the land of Israel—after they spend 400 years in Egypt. It’s th=
e hope of God telling the Israelites in Babylon that they’ll be able =
to return home—after 70 years in exile. It’s the masculine hope=
that gives us strength to hold out amid tribulation, because the destinati=
on is worth the journey.
=
=
Sasse said it’s the kind of hope you shout, “often properly=
with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears.” This hope “do=
esn’t dull the pain of current sufferings,” but it does put the=
m in a new perspective.
None of this me=
ans Sasse—who attended Harvard as a wrestling recruit—is just g=
oing to throw in the towel. “I’m not going down without a fight=
,” the former senator writes. “One sub-part of God’s grac=
e is found in the jaw dropping advances science has made the past few years=
… Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying=
is still something to be lived.”
=
Sasse viscerally feels the pain of losing the muscle he was so proud to hav=
e put on as a youth. His body is breaking down, but he isn’t giving u=
p his fighting spirit. Most importantly, he’s using the last few publ=
ic messages of his life to share something important with the world. His ho=
pe isn’t found on earth, but in the promises of Jesus. Ben Sasse may =
not be able to stop the decay of his body, but he can encourage us to take =
hold of the thing that gives him the most important hope.=
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,=
but I tell you a mystery: this mortal body will put on immortality. Though=
worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
We work hard to distract ourselves, but the trut=
h of our mortality will break through, sooner or later. Is there a reason f=
or this kind of hope within you? I pray that there is.
~~
Dr Bob Griffin =
[email protected] www.grif.net
Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful in it =
with thanksgiving.
At the same time, pray also for us,
that God may=
open to us a door for the Word,
=
to declare the mystery of Christ.” (Col. 4:2-3)=
| Virus-free.www.avast.com |
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