My Next Breath

A couple of weeks ago, an acquaintance who was just a little younger than I died of a heart attack. His name is Doug Root. We were not close, but he and his family were very close to many of the friends in my extended sphere of contacts. The event also dredged up a chilling reminder of my own heart problems a few years ago, which set my dear wife on edge as we relived some of those old feelings of fear and helplessness. Now Doug had congenital heart issues dating back to his childhood, but he was living a full and extremely active life so it took everyone by surprise when he died suddenly. This will be a very difficult time of grieving and transition for his family, but they at least have one major point of comfort. You see, Doug was a devoted Christian. More specifically, he professed to know Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. The bible indicates that such a person, though his body may die, shall have a far better eternal life in the hereafter. That would be heaven. Therefore, if we have made such a peace with God, in accordance with the scriptures, there really is no death ... at least from a spiritual standpoint. If this is a new concept for you, then it will certainly bring up a whole host of additional and complicated question which I cannot here address. (Though you are welcome to email them to me.) If you are already a believer, I just want to take a moment and remind you that this life is merely the tip of the iceberg of our existence and we should endeavor to live accordingly. The good news is that no matter how trying this life may be, or how tragically it may end, the best part is yet to come. So this one’s for Doug and all those who are missing him right now. He may have breathed his last of the fetid air of this world, but that next breath, the one in heaven, must surely have been a sweet one. May we all long for such a breath one day.

My Next Breath
At the end of the darkest tunnel
No matter how black it may be
No matter the pressures or pain I feel
There is someone who comforts me
He pierces the gloom of my sorrow
Understanding the fears I must face
My God is the hope of tomorrow
Where He waits in that glorious place
In the moments when I truly suffer
When I'm frightened and gasping for breath
Even then, I am strong and triumphant
For I have cheated the prince of death
No disease or disaster can rob me
Of God's promise of victory
For I have been chosen to meet Him
At His throne to spend eternity
So what matter if I draw my last breath
And this life is taken from me
My next breath will be in heaven
And oh, what a breath that will be
By Frank Carpenter ©