Exit Signs

Do you ever notice exit signs? They're all around, but easy to overlook. The law requires schools, hotels, and other public buildings to post well-lit exit signs to help pedestrians find an escape route in case of fire. Airline crews make sure passengers can locate the exits in case of an emergency landing. Large exit signs punctuate the miles along interstate highways, inviting weary travelers to get off the road for fuel, food, and rest.

Life itself is filled with exit signs. Each day the newspaper's obituaries list the names of those who have exited this life. The tombstones in a cemetery serve as another kind of exit sign. In a strange way, so do birthdays, for each one reminds us of our own mortality. Some folks refuse to notice the exit signs. I've known grown men who avoid visiting funeral homes because they don't like to think about death. Yet, there's a verse in the Bible that says, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting" (Ecclesiastes 7:2). How could that be? The verse continues: "for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart."

In this fallen, broken world, suffering serves as an exit sign. It makes us face our weaknesses and our need for God. You can't help but notice the exit sign when the doctor says you need major surgery; or when you live with chronic pain; or when your son or daughter enlists in the military and ships out for a dangerous foreign post; or when a speeding vehicle cuts in front of your vehicle and you narrowly escape an accident.

What we believe transforms the way we grieve. We believe the Shepherd's Psalm: "even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me" (Psalm 23:4). We believe Jesus' promise: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. . . . Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27). We believe "our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Suffering produces grief. Lost health, a lost job, or the death of a family member makes us sad. But we do not have to "grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). The Christian life isn't defined by our griefs, but by our beliefs. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again" (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

Grief yields to belief. And belief leads to relief. What a relief to know that even if we die, we will be safe and at peace in the presence of the Lord! What a relief to look forward to a place where God will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21:4). What a relief to know that even when we suffer, our "labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

At the Transfiguration, when Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah about what he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem, the Lord called death his "departure" (Luke 9:31). (It's the Greek word exodos, literally the "way out.") His death wouldn't mean extinction, but merely an exit—moving from one place to another. Peter referred to his own death as his "departure" as well. He compared it to folding up a tent and moving on (2 Peter 1:13-15).

The secret of life isn't just how you live it, but how you leave it. Make sure you're ready when it's time to depart. Notice the exit signs.