When I was 8 years old, a classmate died. At the funeral service I pictured him "safe in the arms of Jesus." This comforted me and made death less fearsome.

The same year, a 5-year-old neighbor boy died, and I became very aware of the grief of his parents. They were crushed and actually seemed angry. It was clear to me that they felt death had robbed them of what rightfully belonged to them.

It's understandable that we go through a time of questioning and even anger when someone we love dies. But we need not stay there. Instead of viewing life as a possession, we need to view it as a gift.

Pastor John Claypool and his wife saw their 10-year-old daughter die from leukemia. He said they found peace when they saw that their daughter's life was "a gift--a pure, simple, sheer gift--to be received and handled with gratitude."

In our Bible reading for today, we learn that it was because Hannah viewed her son's life as a gracious gift that she was able to give him back to God (1 Sam. 1:27-28).

We too would do well to make sure we view life as a gift, not a possession. That attitude will increase our appreciation for life and lessen our anger at death.  — Herbert Vander Lugt