Earlier today I saw a headline on twitter that read “Blogger announces own death after battle with cancer“. If I am 100% honest, these are the headlines I usually avoid clicking on. I have found that they cause me to become depressed. They hit close to home for those I’ve lost. They are a reminder that we can’t seem to beat this terrible disease. They hurt. Yet curiosity got the best of me and I clicked it anyway.
Now I can’t stop thinking about it.
Some of the reasons are obvious. A 41 year old husband and father of 2 girls passing away is tragic. The loss of human life is tragic. Yet what weighed on me the most was the following quote:
I haven’t gone to a better place, or a worse one. I haven’t gone anyplace, because Derek doesn’t exist anymore. As soon as my body stopped functioning, and the neurons in my brain ceased firing, I made a remarkable transformation: from a living organism to a corpse, like a flower or a mouse that didn’t make it through a particularly frosty night. The evidence is clear that once I died, it was over.
Reading it again as I post it made me sad. I don’t know Derek. What I read is a statement that has no hope. I don’t mean this as a personal attack or any disrespect to him. My heart breaks for him. I mean this in a broader sense. I’m struck by the fact that Derek apparently didn’t believe in Heaven….or Hell. I wonder how he got through the tough battles and days. If there was no hope, what did he cling to? I wonder about his family. What is their anchor? How do they approach his passing? Again, I’m not judging, I’m just curious…
and I’m sad.
Where is Your Hope?
But now Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Psalm 39:7.
That’s a good word right there. Great reminder.
Today I want to praise the Lord as I clicked on Twitter and your new blog post today. I just watch CBN.com and Matthew Barnett and his new book The Cause Within. My Hope is in Christ and I thank God for your blog.
Thank you Jackie. I appreciate your kind words. Matthew Barnett is a good man and his book is worth reading. He’s doing amazing things in LA. Providing hope to many.