The Grim Reaper

Well, since it's nearing Halloween, I thought I would write this article that's been hanging around in my head for the past several years.


A few years back around Halloween, my wife, kids, and I were at the mall. I'm not too particularly fond of going, mostly in part due to the large groups of people who flock there. As a result, I try to get what I need and get out as soon as possible.


We had finished whatever chore we had at the mall and were making our way back outside. We were on the top level, so we could see all the stores on the lower court opposite us, and something caught my attention. There was a guy (I say it was a guy because I just don't see a woman doing this, but I guess it's anybody's guess) who was dressed up as the Grim Reaper, or Death, or the Death Angel, whichever name you want to refer to him as. He was, of course, doing some sort of promotion for a store on the lower floor and was dressed in full attire, for the Grim Reaper, that is. He had the long brown coat, the "empty" hood which hides his "face", and Death's favorite object, the sickle. He also decided (or management told him) to play the part convincingly, so as people would come by, he would perform all sort of actions to get their attention. Watching all of this, I was rather intrigued at how people would react to all of this as he lunged, talked, or followed them as they walked by. Some of them thought it was rather amusing, and of course, would try to humor him in all of this. Others though, surprisingly, acted rather apprehensive about the "show", a few of them looked really freaked out about all of it. Some would purposely try to evade the Grim Reaper, and you could tell from their body language they were really uncomfortable about all of it.


I thought that was really odd that people would actually be frightened by that rather silly get-up, but I'm telling you, some of them really were unnerved by it all. I feel most of us approach death like that. Some of us are really terrfied about it. After all, death involves the unknown, and the unknown is always scary. Despite any verifiable evidence, we can't prove that people have died and come back to life to tell us about it, although there are some people who claim to have had NDE's (near death experiences), as they're called, but the jury's still out on that one.


If we know Jesus Christ as our savior, we don't have to worry about death, or at least be concerned what will happen to us after we leave this life and go into eternity. Sure, we don't know exactly what will happen at the moment we die. The Bible tells us, though, that if we're saved, and we're absent from the body (dead physically), we will be with the Lord. There's still some unknown involved, but at least we can rest assured where we'll be after we die. We don't have to fear death. The Bible even tells us that if we believe (trust) in Jesus Christ, we have "crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24). That's right...if you've asked Jesus to be Lord and savior of your life, at this very moment, you have eternal life, even though you're presently in the physical realm. Now...I'm not ready to die until the Lord gets ready to call me home, but I don't sit and worry about it. I can go to sleep at night knowing if something happens to me during the night and I don't wake up, that I'll be with the Lord and everything will be just fine. You, too, can have that same assurance, if you don't have it already.


Just a little Halloween story to go along with the "season". Don't be so scared of death, at Halloween or otherwise. God loves you! :)



When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)



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Jesus.
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