August 31, 2008 | Seth Barnes | Abandon | 3 Comments | Views 2

How do I prepare for death?

Abandon

A lot of death out there lately – have you noticed? How ironic that the guy who wrote 100 Things To Do Before You Die just died of a fall in his home. A number of our Racers are struggling with tragedy lately. And in our AIM family, Lambert Royal is fighting for his life at the hospital. I li…

By Seth Barnes

31 August 2008, 12:08 am

By Seth Barnes

31 August 2008, 12:08 am

I like Paul’s perspective. He says, “Oh death where is thy sting?”

We live these fragile lives yet stiff-arm the prospect of death. To fail to live in light of eternity is to trifle with God. Henri Nouwen was a melancholy philosopher whose thoughts on preparing for death always stir me. Here’s what he says about getting ready to meet your maker.

Death often happens suddenly. A car accident, a plane crash, a fatal fight, a war, a flood, and so on. When we feel healthy and full of energy, we do not think much about our deaths. Still, death might come very unexpectedly.

How can we be prepared to die? By not having any unfinished relational business. The question is: Have I forgiven those who have hurt me and asked forgiveness from those I have hurt? When I feel at peace with all the people I live with, my death might cause great grief, but it will not cause guilt or anger.

When we are ready to die at any moment, we also are ready to live at any moment.

Comments (3)

Carol C

September 1, 2008 at 4:15 am

Reply

Death is the only thing you can be certain of in life, I guess! Lost my 17 yr old brother when I was 15 and always felt like I was on borrowed time once I was older than he had been.

This is not an easy topic, Seth! Funny how, even though you know the resurrection hope and believe it, still death is something that is scary. Guess I am not afraid of death, but am slightly nervous of the process of dying……

In one way I would argue with Henri Nouwen that you can’t be ready to die at any moment if you have family. There never is a right time in some ways. Things will always be left undone or unsaid. But I agree that you can go a long way towards making it as peaceful as possible for the people you leave behind.

I remember Max Lucado saying that God has the date of our death ringed on His calendar as the day His precious kid comes home. I like that. Turns it around.

Another one of those things to just keep trusting God with repeatedly I guess! “My times are in Your hands, O Lord.”

lol Cxx
Victor

April 17, 2011 at 12:15 pm

Reply

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Cheers!
nertger

May 9, 2011 at 8:07 pm

Reply

I think you can’t possibly prepare for death,in a certain way you will never be ready for it. The desire to live and exist is to strong, i’ve wondered if there are people out there who manage to feel less “tied “to this world and see death as a perfectly natural part of life. I doubt that. Maybe those devoted to any kind of faith embrace it easily, monks , nuns defenitely seem more serene to me and more acceptable of death. Most people I know are terrified at the thought of death and try not to think of it, which might be the biggest mistake one can do. You might be “lucky” to reach old age, a period in life when death is the only think you can expect. I wouldn’t want to start thinking of death in old age, would be too depressing…it’s preferrable to think of it every day. It has made me more detached and less prone to depression