Death, Be Not Proud

My English professor, Dr. Cynthia Furr, passed away in an accident caused by two street-racers yesterday. Her 2-year-old daughter was killed as well.

I am usually do not react with extreme grief or sadness to deaths, and I was honestly sad, but not depressed at the passing of Dr. Furr: she was a believer, and so I knew she was enjoying eternity.

When I found out that her 2-year-old daughter died as well, and that her husband had therefore lost his wife and precious girl in one fell swoop, it has done more than trouble my heart.

I am reminded of a message by John Piper that I posted not too long ago, in which he says through all circumstances, the gospel allows us to say:

"God is enough. God is enough. He is good. He will take care of us, He will satisfy us, He will get us through this. He is our treasure. Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth, there is nothing I desire beside You. My flesh and my heart, [our circumstances] may fail, but You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. That makes God look glorious."

And so I must seek God in all things. In the eternal perspective, our lives are so infinitesimally small compared to glory, and because this is not our home, how can we be angered at the destruction of that which is not our final resting place.

The world is dying, and death is part of that. But thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord, we have eternal life, and death will one day die. O Death, where is your sting? I pray that God be glorified in everything, even Dr. Furr's death.

"Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
...
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die"

--John Donne, "Holy Sonnet X"