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January 9, 2007 - My death I just realized that my death, whether sooner or later, could potentially mean life for another person, and that realization leads me to great joy. You see, we all fear death in some capacity. As a convert to Christ, I merely fear death's unknowingness, its foreignness, not its consequences. Whether we simply fear death's transitory nature, its spiritual consequences, or we avoid any thought about it because we're deathly (pun intended) afraid of it, we all tend to focus on ourselves when it comes to the topic of our deaths. We worry about us. This is only natural (though still selfish), but what if our deaths are meant to create life in someone else. By "life", I don't mean physical life, I mean spiritual life. In short, what if through our deaths, whether it be at a memorial service or something said in the obituary or where ever, someone comes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? What if our death isn't about us at all? What if God uses it gracefully to reveal himself to another? I'm a bit perturbed by the common phrases, "he died prematurely," or "she was too young to die." Since when did we become the purveyors of life and death and sovereignty over the cosmos? That job belongs to God and to suggest the artist doesn't have the right to do what he wills within his painting borders on ludicrous and exudes unwarranted pride. That said, nobody dies "prematurely" or "too early" - we die precisely when we're meant to die, no earlier and no later; further, under the direction of the Being that knows how to run this cosmos much better than I. With that said, when I die, I want my death to be life to another - I pray for it. Obviously that's up to God, but I would like to encourage my friends and family that when I die, don't spend all your time talking about how great a guy I was, or how cool my cars were, or how good I was at video games - talk about how great our God is, how Christ saved my life, and how I am currently in a much better place than you are. If someone is afraid of what happens after death in terms of the nature of transition that's one thing, if someone is afraid of death because they don't want to die or are afraid of what will happen to their soul…they're missing the point and they're missing Jesus. How great would it be when you get to Heaven to have someone come up to you and say, "I got saved as a result of your death." "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?" -Hosea 13:14 *Requests for my death -my funeral/memorial service be a worship/celebration service (dancing and clapping are most definitely allowed) -the songs "Come Thou Fount" and "Jesus Paid It All" and "It Is Well With My Soul" be sung at some point -somebody plays "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes while my casket is being lowered -Still deciding what I want to be written on my tombstone -John gets all my stuff if I die any time soon -My money to be distributed evenly to all my nephews and nieces college/missionary funds. |
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