Memento Mori

I was stunned as I read an email this morning about the Rev. DR. Eka Darmaputera. He passed away this morning after long suffering of cancer. Surely a great loss not only for God's churches in Indonesia but also for Indonesia as a nation.

I know him as a faithful pastor, reputable scholar (with earned PhD degree from Cornell) and a man of integrity. I remembered watching him preaching God's word on TVRI every Sunday when I was still a small boy. I can't remember what he said but I do remember his shining face and the way he preached, full of energy. About two year ago, when I was in Jakarta, I had a rare chance of listening to his sermon live at GKI Panglima Polim. Again, what he said has gone from my memory, but I found something unchanging: the enthusiasm, the power and the spirit of the simple pastor. A year ago, I met him face to face after a seminar at STT Jakarta. He's not young anymore. I could see wrinkles here and there, but I still could sense that divine thing. Something that made him different from other pastors I know, something that came from inside. I know a lot more about him from magazines, books, radios, mailing lists and they are all in accordance with what I feel about him.

Well, people come and go, right? But I think the most important thing is what we can learn from them. What can you and I learn from Pak Eka and his life? Out of my shallow knowledge of him, I want to be like him, in some ways. I want to be a person through whom God bless many people. I know that finally what matters is what can be left from our short life for the sake of others, what we can do for them, NOT what I can gain for myself from this perishing world. A life that brings hope and condolences for others is worth living. The universe will vapor someday, but souls are eternal. Memento mori, be mindful of death.

O, God help me to constantly realize how short my life is while there are so many things to be done. Guide me to understand your will and grant me wisdom to make the right decisions in my life, according to your Word. Give me strength to endure the hardships of walking the narrow way until I come to the end of the road, seing you face to face when welcoming me by saying, "Come, my faithful servant."

See you around, Pak Eka.

"Living a Christian life in this sinful world is more like a marathon on a long and winding road rather than a 100-meter sprint. So mind your stamina and focus."