Faithfully Stewarding Death
by Joe Leavell
Photo by Anna Louise from Pexels
“A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time”
“O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!”
“The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Preparing for Birth and for Death
When my wife told me that she was pregnant with our first child we had a choice to make. Can you imagine how foolish it would have been for us to have denied the pregnancy and just carried on as if nothing was going to happen? Imagine seven or eight months as all the signs of an impending child begin to show on my wife’s belly. Think through with me how silly it is to think of not even picking out a place for her to deliver the child, never meeting with a care provider, and not preparing a baby’s room. Imagine my wife giving birth and we had nothing; no diapers, no clothes, no doctor, no crib, nothing. How foolish do you think we would be to ignore something that we knew was coming whether we were ready or not?
As important as it is to prepare for the birth of a little one, it is equally important to prepare for death.
Many of us have seen loved ones lost in the past few years. Some expected and too many who seemed far too young to die. As difficult as it is to write and talk to people about, one of the things that all of us must prepare for is our own death and the death of our loved ones.
None of us are guaranteed by God to have even tomorrow. As many of you know, my brother passed away from melanoma at the age of 37. I also worked for a stretch of time at a cemetery and saw people buried of all ages, many of whom made no preparations. You are not guaranteed to live even as long as even your 30’s.
Unless your name is Enoch or Elijah, or if Jesus comes back before that time, you are going to die. Is that a morbid thought? It’s certainly not comfortable to think about, but it’s the reality of the world in which we face.
The beautiful thing is that because of Christ, we do not have to be in denial about the reality of our mortality. We can face the certainty of death not only knowing why it exists, but also knowing that Jesus has the final word over eternity! Death has lost its sting!
Knowing Christ conquered the horrible reality of this corruptible existence gives us the courage to face our own death. Because of Christ, we are free to be honest about our own mortality and reflect with the Psalmist, “Teach me to number my days.”
Spiritual Preparation
Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages that we have earned for our sin is death, but the verse does not end there. It goes on to express that God offers a free gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. If you have never placed your faith and trust in Christ, then you are going into eternity unprepared and will perish in your sin.
Do not ignore your own mortality but understand that God loved you enough to take the responsibility of your sin on His own shoulders. Christ paid the eternal cost for your rebellion against God, and He offers you eternal life after your death. There is nothing that you can do to earn His love. Jesus did it all on your behalf! His free gift is only something that you can receive in faith and repentance. If you are looking at your own mortality and are uncertain and unprepared, please contact us! We would be more than happy to share with you how you can know today that when you die you will be with God eternally.
For those of us who are believers, are you living your life in spiritual preparation for meeting your Savior? When you see Jesus face to face, will you meet a friend or a virtual stranger? Our spiritual preparation is not just about making sure we go to the right place but that we are sanctified and anticipating that journey home as well.
Physical Preparation
Like the hard work of preparing for the birth of a child, it is admittedly time consuming and emotionally taxing to prepare for your own death and the death of the ones you love. It’s fun to prepare for a baby’s birth. It’s not as fun when you think about preparing for death. I get it. But this is a matter of wisdom, stewardship, and caring for the ones we love enough to plan ahead for.
Scripture is clear on this. 1 Timothy 5:8 says,
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
This passage would indicate that it is a matter of faithfulness to make sure that our loved ones are taken care of long after we are gone.
This is a tough issue. If this is something that you would you prefer to have some help with or if you would like to talk through your struggle in preparing, please contact us as we would be honored to be a resource that you can use in talking through your mortality and both tangibly and spiritual preparations.
For Further Reading:
There are many good resources with planning guides that help with not only funeral wishes, but also help with many of the other aspects of preparing for your earthly departure. My recommendation is to have a designated place in your home where your spouse or loved ones can find everything they need to make arrangements should you suddenly pass away. This way, your loved ones will not have to wonder if they did things according to your wishes and struggle to make huge financial decisions on one of the worst days of their life.
Preparing for your death is just as important as preparing for the birth of a child. Are you ready?
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/plan-funeral-cremation/funeral-planning-checklist
Finishing Well to the Glory of God - by John Dunlop, MP
Heaven - by Randy Alcorn
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/10/estate-planning-checklist.asp
