Who is this Woman?

This is a youthful picture of “Aunt Bee” (taken around 1920) from the ever-popular Andy Griffith Show. The Bible likens us to flowers that fade, and it’s a tragic fact of a fallen creation that every beautiful rose, in time, loses its petals. Science calls this process “entropy.” Everything is moving from order to disorder, including our aging bodies. If we reach old age, we all end up in disorder—both physically and mentally.

This sad photo reminded me not only of how quickly beauty fades, but also of an episode where an aging Aunt Bee was depressed because she was growing old, and knew that she would soon die. An unthinking Barney Fife blurted out “We all have to die sometime!” much to the horror of the more discrete Andy. The sit-com line got a laugh from the studio audience, but death is no laughing matter. The reality is that all three actors are now dead.

Much of this world is like Barney Fife. They surrender to death as being inevitable. But the Bible tells us that death is an enemy, and that Jesus Christ overcame its power 2,000 years ago. When a sinner repents and trusts in Jesus, God gives him (or her) His Holy Spirit—Who is the source of life itself. When the life of God is present in the Christian, death is conquered. The Scriptures also tell us that God is our enemy until we make peace with Him. So you have a choice today. You can either surrender to death or surrender to God. Please don’t delay.