Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for everything, including “a time to give birth and a time to die” (3:2). Birth and death encompass the full scope of human existence and it reminds us that we cannot control either event. And yet, even death can have its benefits.  Death is all about separation. For instance, in this world the physical death of a believer means that when our body dies we will be separated from this earthly shell and go directly to the presence of God (2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23). In terms of an unregenerate person, at death they are separated from their bodies but tragically are also separated from the presence of God (2 Thess 1:9).

But separation or loss in other areas of life can have positive effects. Nine years ago, the death of my dad as well as the separation from a ministry at the same time worked for good. For several years my Ph.D. studies languished because of a misguided, frenetic pace that I was living in and I wondered if I would ever finish my dissertation. But those two separations at the same worked for my good. In nine months, working 30 hours a week, I completed my dissertation (all 330 pages) which was subsequently published. I then began to write two other books that I had hoped would have been completed by now. It is my hope that I will apply the same vigor to both of these projects. I will be posting here periodically some of what I discover and ask for your feedback, both positive and negative, so that these two books might benefit the church and glorify God.

Categories: death, Disappointment, Ecclesiastes, separation, Uncategorized