04Apr
At work, my dad noticed that the name of an employee was the same as an old friend. He found the man's e-mail address and sent him a message.
When Dad received a reply, he was insulted and fired back another e-mail: "I've put on some weight, but is it so noticeable that you mention it first?"
His friend's hastily typed message, with an apparent typo, had read:
"Hi, Ron. I didn't know you worked here, but I did see a gut that looked like you in the cafeteria."
Nagging Questions:
Pastor, I know I’m going to Heaven when I die, but I still find myself anxious about death. What can I do?
Answer:
To begin with, let me assure you that you are not “the lone ranger” when it comes to uncertainty about, and I am saying this intentionally, the experience of dying.
The death experience and our destination after death fall into two different categories. The subject of Heaven resides in that part of our “brain” where we deal with the abstract. The more we learn about grace and Heaven and all that is associated with them, the more that abstract area of thought is comforted. We don’t usually have much trouble visualizing ourselves, enjoying immortality in a perfect threat and danger free place. So, thinking about our destination in Heaven is easy to embrace. We, therefore, find it easy to accept the Scriptural promises of Heaven and feel good as we abstractly contemplate Heaven.
Most, not all, of us deal well with the threat of our accidental death. Approximately 30,000 people die every year from auto accidents, yet most of us do not experience the least bit of anxiety when driving. We have gotten to the place that 30K of us dying every year, which doesn’t count the thousands who don’t die and are permanently injured, is worth the convenience of driving. We don’t have to drive. We don’t have to drive faster than, say, 30 mph. If every car in America were restricted to a maximum speed of 30 mph., 10’s of thousands fewer would die every year, and thousands more would sustain no injury from accidents or at least fewer life-altering injuries. Because of the freedom to move about with such rapidity, we don’t worry about the dangers. As has often been said, “America has a love affair with cars.” For example, watch car commercials.
On the other hand, the death experience is very concrete. People don’t die from being healthy. If there is no “terminal disease,” we still watch people wear down and experience continual loss of ability to enjoy life. We often hear those with lots of years comment something along the lines of “Getting old ain’t for sissies!” We automatically know they are talking about physical deterioration. That is not a pleasant thought. That type of comment continuously seeds our psyche with negative feelings about the dying experience. Think of the long-term impact of one very common quip, “Well, getting old is better than the alternative.” Really? The alternative is Heaven! How is anything here better than the alternative for followers of Christ? But the constant rehearsing of the negatives of the death experience subtly sows apprehension in our minds. And what about when people do acquire a terminal disease?
We watch people get sick and go through long and debilitating battles only to see them wear away to complete weakness, and then after long, expensive, and painful health battles, they die. Those who were formerly energetic, robust, and productive become trapped in a body prison of weakness and pain. That last sentence is enough to give us chills. All possible attempts rally to push off the death experience. Even the heroic attempts of our committed medical community.
Login To Leave Comment