“Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” — Isaiah 57:2 NIV

For generations the abbreviation R.I.P. has been recognized and affirmed to mean Rest in Peace. When a person passes from this life into death we often comment that they now appear peaceful and we take solace that they are resting from the struggles of their life. However, there has been a growing trend to twist the R.I.P. abbreviation to mean “Rest in Power”. It’s mostly outliers of society who have latched unto the “Rest in Power” trend, but it is laughable when one realizes that in death “there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NIV). There is no power over anything in death, not even self.

Our consolation at the deathbed of a loved one is not that they remain as great as they were in life, but that they now have rest and are at peace. Jesus described death as sleep, and when one sleeps in death they have no pain, no worry, and no striving for power. In death, we rest in peace until the resurrection.

This week, if you deal with a patient’s death, take notice of their peacefulness and rejoice with the family that they are finally at rest from their earthly cares.