Death Is Birth… And…

FRI., MAY 9, 1997, 6:25 AM
FARM, STUDY

In your culture death is most often seen as an evil… and there are some Scriptural passages that encourage this kind of perception. I see death as a transition, and, more often than not, quite a positive one. For, whatever your conditions of earth life, death is birth… or rebirth… into some realm of spirit, usually one with which you are quite familiar.

You recognize this as the date of the day before “labor pains” began for your spiritual rebirth, here in the earth. It was also just before an aspect of your earth self began to die. It had to, in order for the birth to take place. There was a bit of drama involved, like unto the breaking of water heralding a birth or the heart attack that precedes a bodily death. You have no recollection of what this preceding day was like, now 18 years ago. Symbolically, today is a graduation day for some of your students, which is both the end of student life and the beginning of a life work… a death AND a birth.

Oh, you remember… and the recorded writings from those early morning times tell… that there was this 10 day period of “labor”. You were on the path to a rebirth, but you didn’t know what this would be like. You didn’t realize that no longer would you have only your perceptions of life and its happenings, augmented by Scripture and the thoughts of some others. You were to make a pledge to Me, as the Triune God, that you would be faithful for a month in taking an early morning hour as a time to write… whatever came to you. It was a gift to Me, but also part of a bargain.

I liked that. I was not offended by your bargaining with Me. It was fun, and I enjoy ventures with a fun aspect. Oh, I knew, for I am omniscient, that you would be faithful, but I also judged that you needed some days of wondering what this was all about. You needed a time of “labor”… which also was a time of dying.

At this time you realize that your full-time career of educating is dying. You have had a couple of “lasts”, with more in store. It will not be a final death, for awhile, but it is a dying process. Moving out of your office and having it then occupied by someone else will be close to final. You’re not sure how you will feel then. Will you accept some resuscitation or will you move almost completely into the new life that this death will “birth” you into?

Life is enjoyable for you now, and you’re not eager to give it up. Yet you are aware of how you have come to accept retirement as a positive move to the next appropriate phase of this life, but only in these last few months. This experience is “practice” for “the Big One”. It is good that you still savor life, even with its occasional pains, as it is good that you still enjoy your classes, your accumulated career materials, your office, and your senior spot in the faculty. But as you are preparing for the transition to emeritus you also are preparing for the transition from this body and personality into the spirit realm and the kindred souls that await you.

These realms are outside of earth time, so the more than 70 years that you have “been away” will be of little consequence. Your reunion with members of your football team of 50 years ago is a rather good earthly example. Next month you will be with folks that you first knew as 9th graders 48 years ago. Much has happened in all of your lives, but there will be some good times of remembrance, and, even, “new friendships”.