I’ve begun reading Christopher Hitchen’s memoir, Hitch-22. I recently saw an interesting review in a magazine, and I thought I’d give the book a try. I used to be afraid to read authors with whom I disagreed, as if their words would somehow seep into my mind and I would believe as they did. Now I just know to read discerningly. Having made it only a tenth of the way through, I don’t know if I can recommend the book, but I will say that I am enjoying the style of writing thus far, if not always the subject matter.
The preface, written last January, deals much with the author’s imminent death. (He died of cancer in December.) While reading his attempts to grapple with the subject, I was saddened to the point of tears at the loss of this man’s soul. He is brave on paper, clinging tightly to his atheism at one point, and at another stating, “I personally want to ‘do’ death in the active and not the passive, and to be there to look it in the eye and be doing something when it comes for me.”
Those words would sound so noble, almost triumphant, if it weren’t for the fact that Mr. Hitchens rejected with a stiffarm ’til his dying breath the only One who has defeated the grave. Death has thus conquered this man whose eloquent words I read. We weak humans will always lose our last battle, unless we trust in the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, who “lives that death may die”.
Oddly enough, for all his erroneous bravado in the above preface quote, several pages later, the author manages to hit the nail on the head when he addresses life in our present state: “…imagine how nauseating life would become, and how swiftly at that, if we were told that there would be no end to it.” I wrote down a note, “Ah, but only if it is this cursed life, and not the next infinitely blessed one.” If I had to live forever in this body with my sin nature clinging to me, I would despair.
To know this life is not forever is a blessing, but only if one knows what, or put better, Who, is on the other side of that chasm called Death. I can’t face dying bravely because I have confidence in me and some hopeful last words about confronting the inevitable. I can face dying bravely because waiting on the other side is my Father, his beloved Son, and that incomprehensibly beautiful eternal life bought for me on the cross nearly 2000 years ago.
Made for Eternity 