A Changed Life Through Death

I just finished watching an episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. where Agent Coulson was talking about how he feels different from the way he was before the big 'Battle of New York'. Agent May reminded Coulson of his scar (obtained before the Battle, allegedly killing him) saying that he had already died and death changes a person.

I definitely agree with what she said. Death does changes a person. Recently, I watched a trailer of Heaven is For Real. A three year old boy experiences heaven and everything in his life changed, impacting his family and his surroundings. The same could be said with everyone who experienced death and came back to life. I have watched interviews where near-death experiences became life-changing events. No one is ever the same again.

Death affects everyone surrounding the victim as it does the victim himself/herself. It's only been a couple of years since the passing of my two high school friends, Abraham and Olivia. I was away from home when these tragic news reached me. When I came back home in the summer, everything feels different. Their classmates behave in a different way than I remembered them the year before. I do believe that the death of a person is a wake-up call.

I've heard some actually say they would probably need to experience a near-death experience to change their lives. I say this is ignorance. I Corinthians 15:31 says, "I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!" Paul goes on to say in verse 34: "Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame." We die to our flesh everyday. In fact, if we know what Christ did for us, we should know that we did have a near-death experience.

As we pass Good Friday and approach Easter, I just want us all to remember that the "ultimate death" of Christ on the cross should be the most life-changing occurrence in our lives. He died for us so that we could have eternal life. We face eternal damnation, but Jesus took away the burden and brought it on Himself when He died on Calvary. His death has changed our lives forever.