During the past three weeks I have written three sympathy notes....that's one a week, and I can't help but think, is this a current trend in my life? Yes, the statistics state, 'physical bodies deteriorate in the elder years' (meaning 70s and 80s), but I rationalize, these are my friends who are dying and we are still 'young at heart'. This year I will turn 79. I am in that age bracket of 'elder years'. My friends are dying.....when will it be my turn?
It is true. Death is a fact of life. We are born and we die. Very simple. It's guaranteed. If we are born to life we will die to life. But we don't like it. We love our lives. We do all in our power to prolong our lives. We eat healthy foods, we maintain healthy life styles, we exercise, we think positively, we laugh, we invest our money for the future, we accumulate things to further enhance our station in life, we sign up for any advertised program that will keep us young, we buy medicines to activate our functioning bodies, we cloth ourselves in the latest youthful fashions and pour money into cosmetics and beauty enhancements. All this is beneficial but it does not negate the fact that we will die...assuredly....someday....at God's timing.
Death is a negative word in our culture. We whisper the word or we avoid speaking the word. We say, "Oh yes, he 'passed' away this morning", as if 'passing' is gentler than 'dying'. How many times do I read, "She passed after a courageous battle with cancer". Now, as a cancer survivor, I personally know what it's like to battle cancer. I suffered through 16 months of chemotherapy, struggling and determined to prolong my own life. Isn't it interesting. As human beings we are inherently given this powerful urge to live, even in the face of catastrophic physical challenges. We fight to live. We push to survive, never willfully wanting to give up.
But there does come a moment when, as some say, 'my time has come'. Yes, each of us comes to that time. So, the question is, am I ready? Am I prepared? Do I know what will happen? I've never 'died' before, so what can I expect? Death is a new experience and that can be scary.
This may sound strange but I am so glad I came so close to dying back in June and July, 2010. I remember how I lay in that hospital bed and felt my body going through all these weird sensations. At times I experienced horrible nightmares. I strongly believe Satan was causing those oppressive events as that evil force tried so hard to capture me. Several of the oncology nurses who cared for me at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids during my monthly visits for chemotherapy, commented on the struggles that non-Christian patients exhibited when dying. Those patients that had no faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior died with terror in their eyes! Unbelievers were filled with fear as they entered the spiritual world beyond life. Whereas those who proclaimed Christ as King died a peaceful, restful, triumphant entrance into the kingdom of Heaven. These nurses individually related actual events that they had personally witnessed.
I remember being surprised that Satan would try so hard to capture me. After all, who was I? I wasn't famous, wealthy or powerful. So, during the nightmares, I kept wondering why Satan wanted me. But while this oppressive evil force hovered over me in a dark cloud and stretched out tentacles to pull me toward him, I experienced loving arms encircling me, holding me, protecting me and I instinctively knew the presence of Jesus was with me and would never let me be captured by Satan. Yes, in my weak, cancer ridden body I was so thankful that I had given my life to Christ back in 1971. Jesus was there with me in my utterly helpless state of brain cancer and I was not afraid.
Yes, death will come. How wonderful, though, that we have been told what will happen to us. How wonderful that we can read about life after death. How wonderful that we know a Person in history who died an excruciating, painful death but miraculously, powerfully came alive again and appeared to His friends in a physical, resurrected body! His friends even found this hard to believe but when He touched them, spoke to them and ate with them they realized without a doubt that resurrection is REAL! They then knew that anyone living in this physical world has the opportunity to be resurrected after death with an immortal heavenly body that will never die. This Person told them He was the Son of God, and that "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6)
Jesus said "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." John 14:1-4
I chose to believe, confess and surrender my life to Jesus Christ because I know in my heart He is real and filled with love for me. Every day I thank Him for guaranteeing me salvation, a resurrected body and eternal life with Him in Paradise!
