Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Reflections.......................an Eternal Perspective




I hope this post doesn't come off sounding too dark, too negative and depressing. That is not my intent at all, I'm just sharing what has been on my heart for a while and more importantly it gives me a chance to write some of my thoughts down and reflect on them in a different way. For a while I have wrestled with my own mortality(the fact that I will one day die) and have tried to come to grasps with this fact. Death seems like such a foreign concept to me, to all of us. It seems as if it just shouldn't be and we live our lives and act and behave in ways that might prove that we think we are immortal, which of course is false. The fact of the matter is that life is not a dress rehearsal, it is the real deal. We only get one shot at this life, one opportunity to swing for the fences. Once it is over, our time here on earth is finished. As a professing Christian I believe there is an after life as reason and logic prove to me that this is true.

Atheists try to convince themselves that once" your dead, you are dead, that's it; that's the end of sensation." Yet the universal and overpowering conviction has persisted in every culture since the beginning of time that death does not end human existence. The fact that man is a spiritual being who survives death of the body in which he temporarily lives on earth is a basic human instinct that can be denied only with great effort. Moreover, even apart from scripture, the scientific validity of this universal belief is easily proved.

Death is a fate that we all imagine that we will somehow avoid, at least for a while. The fact is no matter how healthy one may be, we are always one breath away from death. This is a very UNPLEASANT topic that we do not like to talk about or think about. That is why I like what Moses says in the bible that we need God's help to fit our few days into an eternal perspective.

To quote Dave Hunt, "But modern funerals, with their beautiful flowers and kind rememberances of the deceased, seem almost designed to keep the mourning to a minimum in order to help the living remain detached from the unspeakable event that has drawn them together. we cannot bear, for ourselves or for others, to dwell upon the fact that death inevitably puts its terminating stamp on every earthly passion, position, possession and ambition."

Where am I going with all of this. Not sure! I just no that I do not want to waste my life away on trivial things. Coming to grasp with your own mortality is an important thing to do as I believe it can and should push you toward GREAT endeavors and GREAT vision. The very fact that we are mortal makes LIFE that much more significant and precious. So what are you waiting for (myself included). Swing for the fences, do great things. Love people, serve people, and challenge yourself to reach, strive and try harder.

Someone once told me that the only thing you can take from this earth (we certainly can't take any of our material goods) into eternity is the CHARACTER that you develop here.

18 comments:

Yoana Teran Snideman said...

I am so happy, lucky and blessed to have the opportunity to spend this life with you!!!!

I love you!

Yoana Teran Snideman said...

Thank you Flaca. Nice to have you post on my blog!!!

Te quiero mucho tambien y tu eres la luz y el amor de me vida!

Mike T Nelson said...

Very interesting and thanks for sharing.

Maybe this is why I enjoy adrenaline type sports so much (and they are tons of fun!) I think it is good to be a little scared each day, as it does remind you of your own mortality and pushes you.

Mike N

Brett Jones said...

Franz,
Hope you are feeling better and the reminder that we should strive to accomplish our dreams and live a great life is not morbid. Hope you and Yoana are doing great - you have one of the greatest journeys ahead of you!

Franz Snideman said...

Hey thanks Mike! Yes, adrenaline sports are fun and they do teach us about our mortality.

Being too comfortable is not a good thing, never.

Franz Snideman said...

Brett, I am feeling a better and am just ready to start having more energy and just feeling better. It's amazing that when you are sick the only thing you want to be healthy. It really is true that if you don't have your health, you are in deep weeds!

Joe Sarti said...

You are leader and an inspiration for sharing and challenging people to go out and live life to the fullest. I am fully onboard with you my friend. If you ever have the desire to do expand on this let me know I would love to have a nice conversation with you! Thank you for taking the time to post your feelings on a sensitive subject matter but significant topic.

Pete said...

Franz,

I did not think your post was depressing, or negative. It is wise to reflect on one's mortality, the purpose one has and how a person is seen not by their peers, but by how they think their Creator views them.

Many people do not realize how precious life is until it is almost taken away from them. I think if more people reflected on thier own mortality, they would not be so preoccupied with the meaningless, trivial things in life.

It makes me think of those movies where the person realizes they are going to die within a week or a month, and then they live the life they always wanted. What prevents that for most people now? (Finances preventing, of course)Whether it means a person becomes more outgoing, self-challenging, or tries something new, did they really near the scare of dying to change their outlook?

Keep on writing brother!

Anonymous said...

Agreed, Franz. Until you accept death, you can't truly live. Anytime I start feeling a little sorry for myself, I think of the ladies whose husbands are deployed, and some of those that may not be coming back. Death and injury are an everyday reality around here. It gives you a better prespective on LIVING life. :)

Franz Snideman said...

Pete,

thanks for the feedback. You never know how people are going to take this kind of information but the truth is that we all must accept this reality of life and learn to let it guide us and energize us to LIVE!

Franz Snideman said...

Joe,

thanks for the encouraging thoughts and words. Glad we are on a similar page. Yes, next time we talk we can converse for sure!

Be well!

Unknown said...

Franz, I hardly think it possible for you to waste your life away. You have certainly made a difference in this world and you continue to. I am better off having known you and I thank you for the words and encouragements you have given me. You are a great role model. Your children will be blessed.

Franz Snideman said...

Sara,

yeah, I cannot imagine how difficult it is to have a loved overseas in a war. The anxiety and fear that is involved with that must be unreal. It must make life much more real and much more special because you are around people that lose loved ones. Thank God for people like you and your husband that sacrifice for our safety and for our country!

Blessings to you!

Franz Snideman said...

Tim,

thanks for your kinds words brother!

It has been great talking with you!

Keats Snideman CSCS, CK-FMS, LMT said...

Wonderful post my brother!

Although we do not share the same faith (I'm an agnostic and non-religious), I do feel we have a similar view on the totality of life. Life really is a gift and must be lived as such. At any moment, events can occur that result in death; this is a cold reality we ALL must face.

As a father of two beautiful and incredible boys, I am even more aware of how precious human life is. As a soon to be father, you will experience a new sense of life that you've never felt before and I'm very excited for you and Yoana.

Sean Schniederjan RKC said...

Franz-

Man, it is so refreshing to read this on a KB blog.

It is morbid to obsess about death and to bring it up frequently, but it is also foolish to ignore the fact or to fill one's life with meaningless distractions so as to avoid the subject.

IMO

-Sean

Franz Snideman said...

Thanks Keats! We are looking forward to becoming parents! We are not even there yet and I already feel changed. Just the fact knowing that we are bringing a baby into this world in life changing!!!

Franz Snideman said...

Sean,

thanks for your comments. So true, we should not obsess about it but we must come to grips with this reality of life. I think in doing so it narrows down the important things in life, BIG TIME!