Queen Elizabeth II of England died yesterday. It’s really hard to fathom how much of world history has been affected by her individual life. Whatever her personal faults, she has been for seven-plus decades a public example of resolve, duty, faithfulness, decorum, and restraint–all qualities in tragically short supply amongst those who lead the great nations of our day.
Throughout her life, Elizabeth professed a Christian faith, though it was mostly a privately-held one, given the traditional stance of those in her office to play such things close to the vest. Do I know if she was truly born again? I don’t truly know. I hope so.
Because no matter the greatness or smallness of the mark a person leaves on the world, in the end, every single person leaves the world. Every single person dies. We all must face that final day. More than that, we must all face the Judgment that follows that day. The Bible says, “…it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27). One day, every one of us will stand before God, the Righteous Judge, and give an accounting for our lives.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” This means that it’s good for us, from time to time, to step back from the fun and excitement and entertainment and distraction that surrounds us and consider that each of our lives has a beginning AND an end. Doing this helps to put things in their proper perspective.
I truly hope that the death of the grand old monarch makes you stop for a moment and consider the brevity of your own life, friend. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You are not promised even your next breath. Whenever your final day comes, what happens after that? Where will you go? What will become of you?
If you would do me a favor, in honor of Elizabeth and for your own good sake, take 16 minutes and watch this video, and ponder the questions it raises:
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