As he neared the end of his life, Michelangelo, the famous Italian artist, wrote a reflective poem that opened with the following stanza: “The voyage of my life at last has reached, / across a stormy sea, in a fragile boat, / the common port all must pass through, to give / an accounting for every evil and pious deed.”

With typical profundity and skill, Michelangelo captured the adventure of living, the delicacy of life, and the inescapability of the grave. The fact is, unless the Lord Jesus returns, death is “the common port” at which each of us will one day dock our “fragile boats.” We are all en route, not knowing how far from the eternal marina we currently sit. While that can be a depressing thought, for those in Christ it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the reality of our mortality can push aside triviality and frivolity, inspiring honesty, sincerity, and urgency. This is particularly true when, listen to Jesus, we know what comes next.