bedtime

In his book The Best Is Yet To Be, Henry Durbanville recalled that as a boy, when the shadows of evening lengthened and darkness fell, he would hear his mother call, “Henry, it’s bedtime!” Typical of all small boys, he resisted the idea of leaving his friends, putting his toys away, and going to his room for the night. Yet deep within his heart he knew very well that sleep was necessary.

Durbanville made this spiritual application for the Christian who senses the end of life drawing near: “Death is both affectionate and stern. When the right moment comes, she says to us, ‘It’s your bedtime.’ Oh, we may protest a little, but we know very well that the hour for rest has come, and in our hearts we are actually longing for it.”

The thought of dying can fill even a Christian’s heart with mixed emotions. When we think of leaving our loved ones, it may cause the tears to flow. The breaking of close human ties does hurt. On the other hand, there is the anticipation of resting from our labors.

If we have placed our faith in Christ, we can look forward to the joy and release that will be ours when we hear at His second coming, the evening call, “Come Home. It’s bedtime!”

In life’s eventide, at twilight,
At His door I’ll knock and wait;
By the precious love of Jesus
I shall enter heaven’s gate. —Blom

For the Christian, dying is the last shadow of Earth’s night before heaven’s dawn.

-richard de haan