Peter claimed he was ready for death. Jesus called his bluff. When the hour came, Peter ran and hid. Maybe Peter should’ve said, “Lord I wanna be ready to go with you to death, but for now I’m running.”
Peter responded, “Lord, I’m ready to go with you, both to prison and to death!” – Luke 22:33 (CEB)
Seems to me that us mortals expend tons of energy avoiding death. Euphemisms keep death at a distance. Heroic measures extend bodily functions beyond comfort and quality of life. We run from the very thought of death as if it is inherently contagious and the mere word a curse.
What would it mean to stop running from death? What would it mean to be ready for death? Could we live our lives more fully if we embraced the inevitability of our end? Not in a morose way or with eager anticipation, but comfortable with it as a fact?
If I knew tomorrow would be my last, today would be filled with calls, visits, hugs, laughter, tears, deep sharing, cleaning up my messes both literal and figurative. Then I’d be ready. Right now I’m not ready, but I wanna be ready.
If I wasn’t running from death, I’d live more like it was my last day. Not at a hurried, reckless pace, but with connectedness and intention. If I wasn’t running from death, then maybe I could embrace life.
Prayer
Lord, stop my running and call me to live each day with connectedness and intention. Before I reach my final day, I wanna be ready. Amen.
About the Author
Chris Mereschuk (he/him) is an Unsettled Pastor and the Founder of RevCJM, LLC, specializing in church vitality and Legacy consulting and coaching.