Things have not changed much!
By Don Twobears
This thing “Death” is still such a mortifying subject matter, as well as this problem we have with “Health”. For most, these two things run hand-in-hand, because our health, or the lack there of, has an ominous end to it. Obviously, poor Health will lead to death…eventually. So our present state of mind, tells us that we need to remain Healthy, that in doing so, we will stave off Death…am I correct?
My Daughter is a REAL Health freak! She will only eat food that is not going to put weight on her, to the point that she dismisses certain foods…like anything that contains Processed White Flour, for example. On occasion, she will come to our home and grab a cookie or a small pie, even some ice cream. This is because of the bodies condition to needing Starches every so often. She will run 4 miles and go through some grueling weight lifting sessions. Yet there is a need here as well, so I am not willing to say a single word about it, other than Praise. It has to do with my Ancestry.
My Mother Nancy, would love to eat Blubber…fried, if you will. She would ask for the Fat of our steaks and would sit there and enjoy every bite. She ate Moose and Deer, in other words, she ate the food of our Ancestors. I hate to put it this way, but…White food…fast-food or otherwise…was a problem for all of us. I am the second generation…after My Mother…from eating our Ancestral food. And so there are a great many Really Big people in my Tribe. Not only because of White Food, but Alaska is a very COLD Place and we need the extra fat, to insulate us from that cold, to survive.
There is a real downside to our eating of White Food…It has caused the majority of us to have Diabetes. I often ask my Doctors and Nurses, if they understand “Indian Healthcare.” For the most part, they say they do, but the reality is this. My Tribe, should never eat White Food. It is literally death for us! We have never been Farmers and Gathers, if you please. My ancestors ate fish and other wild mammals, it would appear all meat was wild, that truly does make a difference for us.
My Wife is truly a Great Cook! But many of her dishes will raise my Blood sugar beyond what is Healthy for me. If I eat some Bar-B-Q meat, no B-B-Q sauce, and a salad, my Blood sugars remain good. Obvious that I am still required to eat as my Ancestors did! Hence “Indian Healthcare” is different, because it is still a big factor for my People. My Daughter wants to be Healthy, as she is the third generation after the fact. She does not want to be a Diabetic, as I am!
As I stated above, Diabetes is a Death Sentence for my people and many of us have died from it. My Mother died at the age of 68 years. My Point with all of this, is that Life is different for all of us. We are all different to some extent, thus we all have our separate Health problems to deal with. Point in fact, all of us will one day DIE…of something! If it isn’t a disease, then it will be that 18 wheeler dragging us for a mile or that fall off a cliff, a shark in the ocean, a fall down the stairs, you will go.
The Bible tells us we should get “3 Score and Ten” years, that is 70 years. Now some people get 80 or a few more years, but it’s always with suffering of some sort…it is painful to get old! Having noted that, I am sure you understand that our lives are indeed short! Take for example, the length of Eternity! How short is 80 years compared to the Length of Eternity? As we understand it, Eternity is forever and ever, 80 years pales in comparison…right?!
I had an Aunt that was 100 years, of course she didn’t hear very well and she had to use a Wheel-Chair. She had to depend on others to get her around anywhere, to be feed and clothed, you see the suffering because of age. For most of us 100 years seems like a lot of time, but compared to Eternity, 80 years is a whiff of wind, but a breath of air and your gone.
Our problem with death here on earth, is that it is very final. Yet…we know…it is NOT the end.
We essentially do all that the Ancestors did way back when. We eat and sleep, we Marry and have children, we go and visit places, we work until we retire. In actuality, not much has truly changed! Then we read in the Bible about Noah, He lived as most of us do today, he built the Ark and God closed the door and the world was destroyed in the Great Flood. They lived many more years back then than we do today, the Bible tells us that. Yet in the end, everyone died of something. That my Friends, is the Truth…We are born, we live a Life and then we die, Death is simply a part of life.
Another Truth is this, there is a “Veil”, that exists between us and the next life! Only Jesus Christ, ever was born, lived and then Died…BUT…came back from the Dead! Then again Jesus Christ IS GOD! So now we see that only Jesus Christ knows what is beyond that Veil. Then again, Jesus Being God created that Veil and HE came back from the Dead. We are not able to know exactly what is on the other side of that Veil…unless we read the Holy Word of God!
That is the ONLY True account of what Eternity is like! The Lord God always tells us what is going to happen, before it ever happens…that is called Prophecy!
We as Humans, would do well to read and pay attention to the Holy Word of God.
James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
Do you notice that part about being HEALED?! Truth my Friends! Here’s some more;
James 5:13-15 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
“The Prayer of Faith shall save the sick”! Right there in Black and White my Friends! This is also Truth and it does work, I have seen this myself! The problem is this, it requires FAITH by all concerned! Do the sick have that sort of FAITH, does the Healer have that sort of FAITH?! If there is doubt at any level, it will NOT work. Another point is this, if the Lord God so Wills! Maybe not instantly, but it could take a little time! Your Heart must be absolute with the Lord!
Everyone wants to be Healed when they are sick, but FEW are willing to be FAITHFUL with the Lord!
Wow…there’s that little word again…FEW! However my Friends, this is absolute TRUTH! I do not care whether you are willing to believe that or not, but if your sick, you may want to read the entire Book of James…as well as the entire Bible! Your entire FAITH must be in Jesus Christ!
That doubt I was talking about, is because of a lack of TRUE FAITH…that comes from Satan! Now that is something to consider!
A Mother that loves her child, will do whatever is necessary to help that child when they are sick…again I say LOVE! Sickness in this life is because of our Sin and the only Salvation from our Sin is found in Jesus Christ alone! Our Salvation is found in the words of the Holy Word of God, but to believe it requires Faith!
As we live and grow old, Faith once again is most important! When we read and study the Word of God, we find there is information of what is beyond that Veil…Eternal Life…or Eternal Death! Again the Word of God tells us…it is one way or the other…YOU CHOOSE…for you!
Follow Jesus Christ…it will be Heaven and Life…for YOU…In Eternity!
Follow anything else…it will be Death…Gnashing of Teeth…Pain and suffering…For Eternity!
Just so you know…Death and then Hell will be as stated above, as you think about the fact…you heard the Word of God…You had a chance to accept Salvation through the Blood of Jesus Christ from HIS Cross on Calvary…you chose everything else than HIM! Gnashing of Teeth, Pain and Suffering…YOU chose that for YOURSELF! Read your Bible and you will see for yourself! It does NOT need to be Hell for Eternity…all you need to do is give your Life to JESUS CHRIST!
Are you worried about no longer having any fun?! Stop…and think…which would you rather have…Heaven or Hell…for Eternity…cause this life is really short!
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
All Passages of Scripture come from the King James version of the Bible.
All Emphasis is mine.