Thursday, 23 October 2008
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"I'm Excited About Dying!"
Guest post submitted by TheSilenceHeals
I've noticed that I think about death a lot - not necessarily in an unhealthy manner, but rather, in a sanctifying manner. It's a little freaky to say, "I'm excited about dying!" so I try to keep it on the down low. Nonetheless, it's true: Death inspires me.
I am homesick. I am keenly aware of the depravity of humanity, the rotting body that imprisons the soul, and the estranged feelings and desires that long for "something than which nothing greater can be thought." (St. Anselm)
Of course, there are extremes that need to be avoided. I could think about the life beyond so much that I become aloof to my purpose in this life. It can become a monstrous daydream. I could become cuckoo for transcendence. Most of these people end up referring to themselves as Jesus or join cults or commit suicide during the passing of a comet in hope of transporting their souls to a spaceship captained by Him.
On the other hand, I could disregard death. I find this to be most common among my peers embedded in the comforts of American society as they pursue fame, fortune, and success. These people think highly of themselves with their charm, degrees, Bentleys, and other worldly things. It's disgusting. I have little tolerance for these human beings.
However, if you hang out with people who have experienced great trials and suffering, in some sense, they always have eternity on their minds. They may reject the idea of a personal God, or they may become bitter and define themselves by their heartache, or they may embrace the providence of the Father's will. I find the latter to be one of the purest forms of beauty that an arrogant human being like myself can encounter. I find it ironic that people who seem to have all the more reason to reject a loving, personal God end up enveloping themselves in his economy of grace. Like Jesus, they suffer well. These people are my heroes.
Don't get me wrong. It's not like I dance at funerals. My fear of losing loved ones is a crippling fear that I struggle to accept. The fact that they are 100% guaranteed to die causes me to lose sleep. I need them. Why is it so easy for me to accept my own death while fear the death of loved ones?
As I meditated on this question, I uncomfortably arrived at a difficult truth. I'm a coward. A person who lacks courage in the face of death as I'd rather selfishly leave this world rather than selflessly endure the heartache and share the pain of God's children. I'm like the soldier who abandons his brothers in the heat of the battle.
To this end, I leave you with the following cry of my heart:
Dear Jesus,
What does it take for me to love someone not because they are mine, but because they are yours?
As the great writer George Macdonald asks: "What is all this life but a waiting?''
How do you feel about death? Do you think about it often?
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Comments (39)
The Apostle Paul summed it up.
"To live is Christ, to die is gain!"
To tell you the truth. Yes I do. Sad truth isn't it?
I thank you for this blog. This is an amazing testimony of what is truly in the heart.
Do you really understand death? Do you really want to embrace it so willingly? Do you really know what you're asking for? Do you know how painful death can be, both in the physical and the emotional sense? Our culture is so good at hiding, transforming, disguising death that we assume it's a relatively painless and rapid passage, but it's often not. It's often brutal, unexpected, and certainly difficult to prepare for even when anticipated. People love the before and the after aspects of death in that philosophical and whimsical sort of way (I did too), but the dying itself... see it first before you embrace it so easily. I wish I had been more cautious and respectful/wary before wanting to draw so near to it.
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - I'm not denying the physical tragedy of death (as I point out in my post), but rather rejoicing in the hope of spending forever with my Redeemer.
Wasai... I would argue that my post cautions readers to avoid approaching death in a whimsical manner as the motivation behind such a longing can easily be selfish in nature.
Nonetheless, my hope in Jesus trumps the pain of this world. It has so far and I expect it will at my death.
I don't think about death a lot, at least not overwhelmingly a lot. Mostly I think about those around me. I'm that same kind of coward - I would rather be selfish and be spared the heartache of losing my loved ones! Thank GOD for JESUS CHRIST who is God and so selflessly took on punishment and heartache that we all deserve.
Anyway - sometimes I think about Jesus coming back and that gets me excited. The thought is a little scary, as is dying, just because of the unknown, but we know what joy the Bible speaks of once we are with our Lord. Sometimes I am not ready for Jesus to come back because of the unsaved family and friends I have.
I have to agree that Paul summed it up best with For me to live is Christ, and to die gain! It's hard to think that way sometimes but it's true!
@WasaiWarrior@xanga - I see that TheSilenceHeals@xanga has already replied to your comments,
But I wanted to add that for a Christian, death has no claim on us. For the unbeliever death must be awfully dreadful! I think most humans are "afraid" of the actual dying process, however that might look - sudden or not. But many believers who know that Heaven is their true Home do not fear being dead. Because indeed, we will not be dead, but rather alive!
I have seen people die who died peacefully. My friends grandfather spoke of "hearing all the heavenly voices" as he passed into Glory. I have seen with my own eyes people suffering terribly from disease who embraced death precisely because they know what awaits them.
To all believers who are reading this blog, and indeed to anyone who questions death and life after death, let me point you to a fantastic book. "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn is a great read for understanding what the after life is about from a Scriptural basis. Read his novels "Deadline" "Dominion" and "Deception". It will change forever how you think about death, dying and life!
@nicolevw@xanga - @TheSilenceHeals@xanga - I certainly hope that heaven is amazing, but only wanted to comment on the process of death itself: the actual brutal decay of the body, the dysfunction of its parts, the frequent pain and terror that is involved even for the most stalwart of Christians. It is true that death has no victory and that its stinger has been eviscerated, but that does not mean it bears no pain or no cost. The crucifixion of Christ was appalling, and it was meant to be. And yet we are called to remember it, even embrace it as Christ embraced the cruel cross. But that does not mean we sentimentalize it, trivialize it, dress it up in pretty names and euphemisms. We are meant to encounter it in all of its grimness and tragedy and, therein, gain a sense of the gravity and weight of glory that it must be worth. As TheSilenceHeals says, it is something to be faced with courage... but perhaps courage is defined by proper action in spite of fear and loathing. And that is exactly how we should regard death: with (a healthy) fear and loathing; as much fear as we have trust in the afterlife, and as much loathing as we have love of redemption.
I don't look forward to death itself. I store for myself treasures in heaven where it doesn't rot, mold, and moths can't reach. As children of God, we should not keep our mind on earthly material matters. I pray that the Lord will quickly come to bring in the Millennial Kingdom, then the New Heaven and New Earth, and consummating in the New Jerusalem. In the Eternity, there will be no more death, sin, or tears.
@happylily2@xanga - I agree. Eternal perspective is immensely important.
I'm not looking forward to the physical demise of my body, but rather the excitement and joy one feels before they finally get to meet the love of their life, the hope of now, and the designer of the soul.
I think one can have confidence in the valley of the shadow of death by embracing such joy and excitement in the midst of physical suffering.
the greatest moment is death. =)
yea i look forward to dying. i just hope i'll find myself in the right place after hahaha.
i look forward to it because there's nothing on this world i consider worth living for other than God's plan, the lost, or the unreached. and if God calls me to be with him, then who am I to deny him? hahaha. it's like those psalms. better is one day in his courts than thousands elsewhere.
When told I had SLE in the midst of planning my wedding, the doctor reminded me that it is no longer the death sentence it was once thought to be. I reminded him that we all die at some point. My goal is to embrace every day we are given here and that will make the home-going all the sweeter. One must live first and remember that being with God is an always thing, now and ever after.
I'm told we're not to fear death as Christians, since it's been conquered so no, I don't fear it, but I also don't look forward to it. God takes us when He wants to and not a moment before.
When we die we trade life for more life. I don't think we should long for death, but we should not fear it either.
frankly, death means nothing to me. i'll die when i'm meant to, not a moment before or after. i can't change that... all i can do is live without regret. there's always the chance that this life might be all we get... and as a great character on a great TV show once said: i refuse to accept that this life is nothing more than a test.
in short, i am one of the human beings you have no tolerance for (thanks for your compassion, by the way). with the exception of my depression and suicidal tendencies, God has blessed me with a generally pain-free life. i don't feel compelled to force myself into suffering to make myself more worthy in your eyes..
I think about death a lot. I think about how I would deal with having a terminal illness, what would I say?
But mostly, I think about my loved ones dying as well. Random images will pop into my head of ways they could die that day, mostly car wrecks. It's horrible, and it's something I've had to work on letting God have. I have a couple of friends that I've lost touch with (and because of circumstances, can't get back into a relationship with them) that have in the past tried to kill themselves, and are still suicidal today. Those thoughts are the worst. What could I have said? I could've done something...I should've loved them more.
Yes, I think about death a lot, actually.
But the fear of losing the people we love, and even our own lives is not from God. He wants us to be joyful in every breath we take, and not just sit here waiting to die. I sincerely believe that God wants us to Carpe Diem, to seize the day. The fear of death is from Satan. It's something we need to give to God.
Beautiful. This is wonderful. Just a random reader (ex-xangan) of blogs, but I had to leave a comment to express my appreciation for these well-written thoughts.
I can't say that I am excited about dying, with an exclamation point. But ultimately, it is the point at the end of the sentence, of a story, of living, for everyone.
Hehe...this blog is very interesting to me. I quite enjoyed it. (and quite beautiful I might add, about the beauty of suffering and how that causes some to sink deeper into the arms and love of God).
I have been to more than my fair share of funerals. I go to an average of 3 a year, but one year I wen to 7. These have been close friends and family members...not casual acquaintances. But when my fellow believers die, I always find myself a bit jealous that they get to be with Jesus.
Finally, you said you don't dance at funerals....funny thing is that I have already made my funeral plans and there will be a dance after the funeral. I want people to have a party and celebrate the fact that I lived my life for Christ the best I could and now I get to be with the one I love! So...if you want to dance at a funeral you could come to mine if I die before you
God bless!
I can understand where you are coming from I look to heaven a lot I think about it and am excited to go there This life and this home is not my home I am so looking forward to actually going home where i belong and leaving this miserable place. I think keeping our eyes and hearts looking towards heaven makes it so we remember what is most important and we dont focus so much on what we want and all of our stuff. chat more soon Sarah
That was Beautiful.
Thank you for this blog. I had been thinking about this very subject when I heard a popular song "Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now." Everytime I hear that I shout out "You're wrong!" I want to go to heaven now. Not in the morbid sense. I know that God has a plan for me on earth, and I willingly accect that. I live every moment to the fullest, but when death comes for me, there will be no greater joy than to embrace it.
I have always thought about death from time to time, wondering what comes next, what it will be like, what I will be like, what will happen there.
When my wife was diagnosed with terminal cancer about 18 months ago I thought about it a bit more. I was very jealous that she got to go now, but grateful that she wasn't the one left behind to deal with life alone with Abba. She had always said how she didn't think she could do so. I had always thought I could handle it.
Well I'm handling it, but not so bravely and strongly as I thought I would. This is the Footprints time for me. I long to be done with my time here to rest and be rejuvenated, actually remade where there is no more sorrow, no more pain, and no tear in anyone's eyes.
But I am not my own. So I look toward the next phase and the next bit of learning Abba has for me. But I still comfort myself that Heaven awaits me eventually. There will be a rest and a reward. This constant sorrow that the world engenders will be a thing of the past eventually.
oh yay... thank you so much for this post. you voiced the concern of my mind that i did not exactly have courage to talk about really (my mom reads my blog once in a while, so i don't want to scare her)...
i've been thinking about death a lot lately. 5 of people i knew died this year. that alone contributed to constant ideas in my head about what it is like to die. but besides that, just like you mentioned, death inspires me. or, should i put it in my own words, it's more like it fascinates me. i dream about all the possible variants of afterlife that God has prepared for us and knowing that He said "you cannot even imagine what I have prepared for you", most of the times i just stand with my jaw hanging open and eyes wide as saucers when i try to imagine what would it be like.
the only thing that helps me is to know that i still have a lot of friends who don't understand the grandeur of His plan yet and therefore, like Paul, i am torn between two worlds.
so nice to know that i am not the only one!
Zee
incidentally, i just submitted a post on death and the concept of immortality to revelife, but i don't think it'll get featured. probably doesn't sound standardized enough. but check it out if you'd like.