Of Natural Causes, by Phil Ware


So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will
be glorified (Romans 15:7 NLT).

Larry died of natural causes the coroner suggested. I balked at the
suggestion, because Larry was only 51 years old. Now for some of you,
that may seem old, but I'm 52 -- dying of natural causes at 51 didn't
seem quite right. But the longer I read the article about Larry's
passing, I realized the "natural causes" were not what we usually mean
when someone "dies of natural causes."

Larry's remains were recently found in his house in a skeletal,
mummified condition. No one had seen him since Hurricane Rita that had
devastated Beaumont, Texas, nearly 18 months ago. The body was found on
top of the bed, just like he had gone in to take a nap and never
awakened. They are not sure if Larry expired shortly before the
hurricane's arrival or shortly afterward. His house had not been
severely damaged, so no one had actually gone inside to check on him
and most folks just felt he had left before the approaching hurricane
and never returned. A prospective buyer for the house found Larry's
body. The house was put up for auction because of unpaid taxes.

Sadly, no one had really missed Larry. Although he had family in the
city, he didn't want to see them. His neighbors made assumptions about
his absence. Who knows, if someone had been more aware of his status,
he might have been found before he died!

Unfortunately we live in a time when we hardly know any of our
neighbors anymore. This is true whether we are talking about the
neighborhood where we live or the "neighborhood" where we usually sit
when we attend church. While we face an epidemic of loneliness in the
many developed countries in the world -- and the U.S. seems to be the
worst -- most folks are waiting for someone else to reach out and
include them. Rather than risking rejection, or interfering, or
involvement, most of us go about our routines and remain relatively
anonymous to the folks around us.

So why don't we?

While Larry's death is an extreme example, his death should shock us
into a realization that there are lonely people all around us -- maybe
even within us -- who need someone to reach out and simply include
them. So why don't we?

I'm going to challenge you to do just that. Look around your
neighborhood and your church, and find people who seem a bit lonely or
isolated. Intentionally include them. Encourage folks at your church or
within your group of friends to begin to call on one elderly person per
week to just check on that person and see how he or she is doing.
Change the neighborhood where you sit at church at least once per month
and sit by someone who seems to be alone and find out about that
person. Offer to help carry the boxes or assist someone older who needs
help with groceries, the garbage can, or other tasks.

What holds you back from reaching out to someone else? What makes it
hard to help touch the heart of someone who seems to be alone that you
regularly see each week? Why have we become such an isolate culture, as
we grow more supposedly "civilized and high tech"?

Hi Richard, What a profound message that is. I don't seek out the neighbors too much, mainly because I'm too shy in person. Talking here is easy, in person not so easy........but that's the point of the message, right? Do what isn't so easy....

Real Good one....and So Sad....Richard!!! Thanks!!! :)

I know what you mean Vickie I'm a very shy person too and to write it down here is easy but if I were to meet you in person I wouldn't know what to say after saying "Hi it's nice to meet you Vickie" LOL. I do try to make myself talk like if I go to the grocery store I will always go to the same checkout person ( I have two or three that I go too) and I always say Hi by using there name. ( Hi Nancy how are you? or Hi Fred how are you?) that takes me out of my shyness for a bit and I may have a small conversation with them while they are checking out my grocery.

Hi Richard, I do that, too......about chatting with the cashiers. Then on the way to the car I find myself going over the conversation in my head.....Did I do okay? :lol: My son Brian is so extremely shy.....I have to really push him to talk with people. Sometimes pushing him helps me, too. :)