Death At Arms Length

“Labor to understand how near your rest is. When judgments, or mercies are far off, we talk of them with little concern; but when they draw close to us, we tremble at, or rejoice in, them” Richard Baxter said.

When something is close by, we tend to be more given to it, more aware of its coming and going on us. It is at the forefront of all else. When death comes it is hard to see anything else. Like the trees that are at your arm’s length, keeping you from seeing the forest behind it. Its approach can be frightening or cruel. When it is close upon you its hideous face glares at you and your grave. Death is not what was intended by the Creator. There was no place for it in paradise, but it slipped in and sin gave us a sentence of death. Our anguish at its sight concedes that this Enemy has an unquenchable desire to take and take. It will take every one of us. 

Indeed, we have received a death sentence, but for us who find our redemption in Christ, death ushers in our rest. We should have more discourses on such rest in the Lord rather than waiting for when a life is taken from among us. However, when death comes close it is a reminder that in all our conversations whenever we meet, the redeemed should have some talk of meeting again in heaven and discoursing on the rest that grows ever closer. There isn’t a reason why we should let it take us by surprise, nor keep it at arm’s length.

I don’t think my father-in-law, Hal Jensen, was surprised by it. If any person could have planned for it, it was Hal. If there was such a person to have the foresight to see it coming it was him. He could foresee the rest it would bring. He spent decades preaching on the rest found in death and the life found in Christ. He was the most organized type A person I have ever met. So, it is no wonder that he took a great deal of time to discuss, plan and prepare with family his coming eternal rest. Hal wanted to be sure his wife would not have any burdens if He was going to be at rest. He has seemed to think about every detail to alleviate the burdens on his family, that can often accompany death. Hal, the master organizer and planner, seems to have planned knowing when the family would be most available and when it wouldn’t be too hot for a graveside service in Florida. He seemed to think of everything.

Knowing Hal, I think his intentions had greater significance than we know. I believe it was also to bring attention to our own mortality, our own sin, and have the ability and time to reflect on our own souls, as death stares us so closely in our faces, at arm’s length. He even gave attention to when we would be in a mindset to be able to face our own judgments or mercies and let them come close, so we too might consider whether death would bring rest in Christ or eternal absence from Him. In finding his rest, he has managed to point us to rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. 

Hal relied on God his entire life and wanted all his family to find rest in the arms of God who raised Christ from the dead. So often in families, we can keep death at arm’s length, but we also spend a lot of time keeping one another at arm’s length. In Death God says “If I’m not your security, then you’ve got no security because I’m the only thing that can’t be taken away from you. I will hold you in my everlasting arms. Every other set of arms will fail you, but I will never fail you” Tim Keller. In Hal preparing for his rest, he wanted to encourage the family to embrace again, and hold one another, even if it was at the cost of his life, but when our arms do fail one another, Christ’s arms never will. When God’s arms draw close to us, we don’t need to tremble if we have chosen to rejoice in the one who raises the dead to life!

I love you and will miss you my father-in-law, my friend, my confidant, our Grandhal. 

Your son in law,

Billy