Woo hoo, it’s April 15th and time to get your taxes paid or receive a refund. I never did quite understand why we should be taxed on what we earned by actually working. It seems ludicrous in a way that the laborers of the country should be responsible for those who don’t. Ben Franklin wrote these familiar words to a friend when he was in his 80s, proving that he still maintained a sense of humor.

“Our Constitution is in actual operation. Everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.”

Those words don’t hold much hilarity today, especially when we see how out of hand our taxes are and how out of control government spending has become. We also know that death is a certainty. April 15th is Tax Day – a day which will bring fear to the strongest of us – a day we know is coming, but rarely plan for – a day that was instituted in 1913 when the sixteenth amendment was ratified.

It’s interesting to note that one year prior to this, on April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank when it hit an iceberg – losing 1500 souls in the process. There were more than 700 survivors who kept the memory of that fateful day until their own demise occurred. I have recurring dreams of being on that ship as it sank. Every time I see photographs or movies that recall the tragedy, I become very uncomfortable and anxious. It’s almost as if I was there on that “unsinkable” vessel. I don’t believe in reincarnation, but this dream is very disconcerting.

Back to the two dates coinciding – death and taxes are truly real and certain. God tells us to render to those who rule over us. We are to respect our government and pay what is required. Our death is also certain, but the payment for our sin has already been paid, by God’s own Son. By His death, we are assured of life everlasting and no more taxes.