the unnaturalness of death

on sunday i was out with my family at popeyes...it was my very first popeyes experience, by the way, upon recommendation of my brother-in-law...it was pretty good.:) anyway, at the restaurant i noticed an old man. he was sitting a couple tables over from us with his wife. both seemed to be in platonic moods, going about lunch as usual...just eating, not talking...doing life together. he was probably in his upper 80s, wrinkled, slow moving and frail. he didn't look like he had much life left in him. as he walked by our table i was suddenly struck by a deep & sober sadness that he wouldn't be around much longer and the wife who had been sitting with him would soon be sitting alone.

i got to thinking about all this because i was surprised by the depth of my reaction to a complete stranger. death shouldn't be a surprise. we all know it's coming. but something about it still feels so unexpected and so unnatural. it absolutely does not feels like part of the plan...that a person can be alive one moment and then gone the next, an empty shell of what they used to be. and in looking at scripture death obviously wasn't part of God's original plan either...it was only after sin entered the world that death became the route to which we get back to God when our time on earth is done & this transition is precious in His sight (psalm 116:15). soo, i understand why there must be death on earth it's just the sadness that accompanies separation from someone that's hard to handle. hope this isn't too morbid...i've just been feeling the heaviness of it lately.