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When I opened my Facebook timeline recently, I expected to see the usual posts from friends, jokes that make people laugh, and maybe some pictures of people enjoying their day. But instead of joy, what I met was pain. Obituary posters everywhere. Young faces, bright smiles that are no longer here. Men, women, even children, all gone. Read Our Last Post: 7-Year-Old Boy Beaten to Death by Classmates
I kept scrolling but the more I scrolled, the more I saw death. It became heavy on my heart, and I could not stop asking myself, why is this happening? Why are we losing so many young people? Why are obituary posters now the most common thing on social media?
It is not that old people are not dying. They are. But what strikes me is that the rate at which young people are dying now seems even higher than that of the old. Every day, there is a poster of someone in their twenties, thirties, or forties. Some even younger.
I cannot count how many times I have seen posters of people who were supposed to still be in school, people who were supposed to be starting their careers, people who were supposed to be raising families. Instead of celebrating birthdays, we are writing rest in peace. Instead of graduations, we are attending burials. And when you see these posters, it cuts deep because the faces look fresh, full of life, full of hope, and yet they are gone.
And many more....
I began to wonder, is it food? Could it be that the things we eat are silently killing us? So much of what we consume today is processed, filled with chemicals, artificial flavours, and preservatives.
Many people do not even have the chance to eat real natural food anymore. Everything is fast food, everything is packaged. Could this be the reason people are developing strange sicknesses? High blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, diabetes—these things are no longer seen as sicknesses for the elderly. Even young people in their twenties are now suffering from them. Could it be that what we are putting in our bodies is poisoning us slowly?
Then again, another thought comes. Could it be enemies? We live in a world where jealousy and wickedness exist. Some deaths are not natural. Some deaths are caused by people who cannot stand the progress of others. When a young person begins to shine, there are always enemies who wish them evil. Sometimes they smile with you in the open but stab you in the back in secret. Could this be why so many bright young people are dying before their time?
And then I ask again, could it be that many of us have abandoned God? In our rush for money, in our desire to look modern, in the distractions of social media and entertainment, could it be that we have forgotten the One who gives life? The Bible says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. But many of us now live like God does not matter. We only call on Him when we are in trouble, but when life is smooth, we forget Him. Could this be the reason life is being cut short? Because without God, man is nothing.
Sometimes, it is not even enemies or food. Sometimes, it is the weight of life itself. The stress, the pressure, the endless hustle. People wake up early, rush to work, face traffic, face insults, face disappointments, and come back home drained. Many sleep with worries heavy on their chest. Some do not even sleep at all. Before you know it, sickness begins. Stroke, heart attack, depression, mental breakdown. Some young people are even dying silently through suicide, because they could no longer carry the weight of this world.
Each obituary poster tells a story. A story of a life that was cut short. A story of a family that is broken. A story of dreams that will never be fulfilled. I saw one poster of a young boy, only seven years old, beaten to death by his own classmates. What kind of world are we living in, where children have turned to bullies and murderers? How can a little boy who should be learning and laughing in school end up in a coffin because of violence from fellow children? The pain of that is something no parent should ever carry.
I also saw posters of young men and women who died suddenly, some in accidents, some in sickness, some without any explanation at all. The pictures are always the hardest part. The smile of the bride on her wedding day, gone. The proud graduate holding his certificate, gone. The young mother holding her baby, gone. You look at the posters and tears fill your eyes, because you know that these people were just like us. They had plans, they had hope, they had people who loved them, but death did not allow them to continue.
As I kept seeing these posters, I realised something. Death is not far from anyone. It does not care if you are rich or poor. It does not care if you are educated or not. It does not care if you live in the city or in the village. Death comes for anyone at any time. But the question is, are we ready? If today was our turn, are we ready to meet our Creator? Many of us live as if we own time, but the truth is, time is not ours. We can be here today and gone tomorrow. That is why we must live wisely. That is why we must live in a way that pleases God, because no one knows when the end will come.
Another thing that struck me is how much sorrow is filling homes today. Parents burying their children, wives burying their husbands, children becoming orphans at a young age. It is not the natural order of life. In the natural order, children bury their parents when they are old, but now it is the parents burying their children. How much pain can a human heart take? Every burial leaves scars that never fully heal. Every obituary poster is a reminder that tomorrow is not promised.
So what can we do? We cannot stop death, but we can live in a way that prepares us for it. We can take care of our health. Eat well, rest well, go for medical check-ups. Do not carry more burden than you can handle. Life is one, and once it is gone, it is gone. Let us learn to value peace over stress, forgiveness over bitterness, love over hate. And above all, let us return to God. Because without Him, we are like dry leaves blown away by the wind. With Him, even if death comes, there is hope of eternal life.
I know that even as I write this, more obituary posters will still appear. I know more families will still cry, more lives will still be lost. But I also know that this life is not all that there is. If we hold onto God, we will see our loved ones again in a place where there is no death, no pain, no tears. Until then, let us live each day as a gift. Let us not waste it on things that do not matter. Let us not waste it on hatred and envy. Life is too short for that.
As I close my eyes and remember the faces on those posters, I whisper a prayer for their souls and for their families. May God comfort them. May God heal them. And may God help us who are still alive to walk wisely, love deeply, forgive quickly, and serve Him faithfully. Because at the end of the day, obituary posters will one day carry our own faces. The question is, what will people say about us? And more importantly, will we be ready to face God?
✍️ Written by Prudent Joshua for prudentj2.com
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