Ecclesiastes 7:2 - "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart"
In fact, morbid images and thoughts tend to cause strong emotional responses.
These feelings range from disgust to sadness to anxiety about our own death or the death of loved ones.
So why would the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes, suggest that it is better to visit a graveyard than a festive party?
The answer is profound...
Because Solomon understood the VALUE of renewing our minds on our own mortality.
When done in a healthy way, this exercise re-frames our perspective on the eternal, invisible world instead of our temporary, visible world.
As such, our desires... our hearts... for the things of the spiritual world are elevated even while those for the material world are diminished.
And why is this so important?
Quite frankly, because we are all very easily distracted from our own end of days by the attention the world commands.
While most of our days are packed with good things like taking care of our families, serving our friends, and pursuing the glory of God through our work, the sheer volume of these activities will consume our time... one day at a time... until our last. That's just a fact!
If we are not taking the time to remind ourselves of our limited time on earth, we will most likely pursue primarily the things of this world. Even worse, we will not pursue our spiritual future with the passion that is ideal for our growth and eternal future.
