Death notes - the brevity of life

If you would just flip the Straits Times main section today overleaf, it wouldn't take a few seconds to realise that reports of deaths came in one after another.
"Woman crushed during walk in park"
"Trainee teacher dies on Mt Ophir"
"Full military funeral for soldier"

What more do these reports attest to except that life is really unpredictable. All of the people who died above have passed on in their prime. The woman was a housewife with coming-of-age sons, the trainee teacher was only 27 and looking forward to a career in teaching and Private Fan Yao Jin is the same age as me! What more can i say except that life is so unpredictable. Despite the last person in question given the honour of a full military funeral, he cannot come back to life anymore. These people have had the breath of life but now lie lifeless, devoid of any signs of life.

I am pretty sure the housewife had hopes of watching her sons grow up to become good men, the trainee teacher curling to get past the gruelling syllabus to finally be qualified to teach and private Fan striving to rise through the ranks. But death has no respect for men. It captures old and young alike - catching all even those caught unawares.

In the midst of such doom and gloom, it was rather comforting to read of a different slant to death in the weekly health companion to Straits Times "Mind Your Body". Mr Tye Kim Khiat, who wrote a book Second Dawn in memory of his late son reminds of a verse from the Bible "Death, where is thy sting?" His son, Kevin, had died from cancer before hitting 30. But the triumph over the physical death was clearly seen in the optimism of Kevin who had said he was not afraid and knew where he was going. Mr Tye describes Kevin as being one who always had Heaven on his lips, which fitted perfectly with the lyrics of this song we sing during worship time

O, heaven is in my heartO, heaven is in my heart
The kingdom of our God is here
Heaven is in my heart
The presence of his majesty
Heaven is in my heart
And in his presence joy abounds
Heaven is in my heart
The light of holiness surrounds
Heaven is in my heart
O, heaven is in my heart O, heaven is in my heart
His precious life on me he spent
Heaven is in my heart
To give me life without an end
Heaven is in my heart
In Christ is all my confidence
Heaven is in my heart
The hope of my inheritance
Heaven is in my heart
O, heaven is in my heart O, heaven is in my heart
We are a temple for his throne
Heaven is in my heart
And Christ is the foundation stone
Heaven is in my heart
will return to take us home
Heaven is in my heart
The Spirit and the Bride say 'Come!'
Heaven is in my heart
O, heaven is in my heart O, heaven is in my heart

It's a different take on death altogether when one is in the hands of the Almighty God. Such triumph and inexplicable joy despite the circumstances. I think of my parents and some youth contacts a lot lately whenever i read these stories. May God grant them the grace to know Him and triumph over death.