October 27 – Dying as Fruitfulness
When we die, we pass beyond the limits of our wounded ego and awaken to the unbounded presence of God that has been our life from the beginning. James Finley
Gregg’s Reflection
When I consider death, my first instinct is to see it as loss—the end of my work, my relationships, my presence in this world. Yet Jesus calls us to see it differently: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.” Death is not the end of our fruitfulness but its completion, the moment when God brings forth the hidden harvest of our lives.
Henri Nouwen once wrote that “our death may be the end of our success, our productivity, our fame, or our importance among people, but it is not the end of our fruitfulness.” That truth shifts everything. We rarely see the full impact of our lives while we are living. But after our passing, the seeds we have planted in love, service, and faithfulness continue to grow in ways we cannot measure or control.
I think of the teachers, mentors, and friends who shaped me. Some of them never saw the fruits of their influence, but I carry their words and example in my heart, and I know I am not the only one. Their lives continue to bear fruit long after their deaths, a harvest that extends beyond their earthly days.
So too with us. If we live faithfully, if we give ourselves in love, then our dying becomes the final surrender that releases the harvest of our lives. Death becomes not a wall but a door, not the end of our fruitfulness but its fullness.
Scripture
Very truly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
John 12:24
Ancient Quotes
Blessed is he who loves God, and he who longs to see Him will be satisfied.
St. Francis of Assisi
Modern Quotes
Our death may be the end of our success, our productivity, our fame, or our importance among people, but it is not the end of our fruitfulness. The opposite is true: the fruitfulness of our lives shows itself in its fullness only after we have died.
Henri Nouwen, Nouwen Society Daily Devotion, 9/28/20
When we die, we pass beyond the limits of our wounded ego and awaken to the unbounded presence of God that has been our life from the beginning.
James Finley, Living School Teaching
Journaling Prompts
- What seeds of love and service are you planting that may bear fruit beyond your lifetime?
- How do you imagine your life continuing to bless others after your death?
- Who has planted seeds in you that are still bearing fruit today?
- How might you live with greater trust that God will bring forth the harvest of your life?
Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 43 Reflection: Suffering/ Death & Dying