A Good Place to Start -- Realizing Our End

I consider Prof. Richard Hughes a mentor though I've only met him twice -- once at a conference hosted by Baylor and a second time on the campus of Missouri Baptist University when he visited there as a part of the Rhodes Fellowship.  In his book on the vocation of the Christian scholar, Hughes explains that he has one primary objective in every course he teaches -- to convince his students that they are going to die.

I was vividly reminded of Hughes' principal objective yesterday when, in between my first day morning and afternoon classes, I attended the funeral of a 22-year old Handong student who had died while serving on mission trip last month in Israel.  The student, Ms. Park, was one of a team of Handong students who were in Israel to work on a kibbutz. She died as a result of a tractor accident. It was her second mission trip to Israel.

As I sat in the funeral service and listened to the words of encouragement, comfort and hope offered by our campus pastor, I realized that this was the third funeral I had attended in the month of February.  The first was my mother's.  She had lived a very full and meaningful life that had even exceeded the "four score and ten" of Psalm 90:10 by nearly two years. Her funeral was a celebration of the reality of Christ's promise of resurrection and life in him.

The second funeral was for a friend, Rodney -- the son of the Lutheran pastor who served the congregation where I grew up. I was confirmed under Rodney's father's instruction.  Rodney had also been my family's life insurance agent and financial advisor.  He died suddenly in middle-age of a rare brain disease.  As a follower of Christ, though, he and his family had a settled trust in God's wise and good care.  He peacefully yielded to his Lord's final call.

Then, within three days of my return to Korea, I was sitting in yet another funeral service -- this one, though, for a bright, energetic young person who had died at what most would readily say was the very beginning of her adult life.  From the testimonies of her fellow students and her professors, Ms. Park had a devoted sense of mission and commitment to living her life for others.  She was a psychology and counseling major at Handong and hoped to soon begin serving others as a counselor.

Her sudden death has had a significant impact upon the Handong community.  We have all been reminded of the brevity of life and the necessity of living each day to the fullest according the grace and calling of God.  There is a tradition here in Korea that is practiced as a memorial to those who have died.  A tree is planted to commemorate the person's life and a small memorial stone is placed near the newly planted tree. 

This morning during my reflective walk about campus, I stopped by the memory tree that had been planted yesterday for Ms. Park.  It is a beautiful 3-foot fir tree.  It reminded me of three lives that had all been rooted in Christ and continue even now to bear fruit in the lives of others.  May I be mindful each day of both the brevity of life and the certainty of death so that I might be living wholly and meaningfully today -- and, teach my students to do the same.

     So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.  ~ Psalm 90:12