You don’t have to be obsessed with dying or on the verge of dying to ask this question. This question goes with, “How should I live?” We are all going to die. That is a fact. Jesus makes possible an excellent future beyond your death. If you understand God’s plan and you have been connected to Christ, then you are ready for departure. You can maximize your closing years, be emotionally ready, and prepare those you love for your day of departure. It is never to early to think about such things.
Let’s talk about first things first. You definitely want to be covered by the blood of Jesus, as the saying goes. Death isn’t positive at all for those who plan to just appear before God on their own merits, or imagine that physical death is the end, or cling to some other kind of hope. There is a rude awakening waiting for such a person. You are definitely not good enough to stand before God on your own. God’s standard is steep. You had to be perfect. You are not. That is why Jesus kept God’s Law for us. Secondly, we all fail to obey God and there is consequence for that. Severe consequence. The worst part is being forsaken (abandoned, forgotten) by God forever. God doesn’t waive that. Jesus experienced it for you over a 3 to 3.5 hour period on the cross. His life and his death become your life and your death by what God does to you when you are baptized. You are connected to Jesus.
Many people who know these things still struggle with doubts about whether they believe enough. First, believing is more of a first symptom than directly the cause of being saved. You can’t see directly if you are connected to Jesus. You can observe the symptoms: Trust in the historicity of Jesus’ story, trust in God’s promise of forgiveness of sins and then eternal life, a growing love for God, a growing certainty of eternal life, a growing love for other people, and more. The symptoms can show up unevenly depending on who you are. Faith is not never entertaining doubts. You should look at more objective things than your perceived depth of faith. Were you baptized? Do you trust the story? Do you think that God is faithful? You will always find places that could be better. You won’t be without sin at your death. You can have Christ’s righteousness as your own before God. If you can observe some of the objective signs of God reaching you, you can look forward to a good death. Relax. Praise God. Look forward to the trip.
Once you are certain of where you are going next and why, you can seek to maximize your remaining time here. One of the toughest parts are health decisions. There are reasons to try and stick around here, and reasons to want to leave as early as possible.
Sometimes death just takes a person. There is no planning and nothing to decide. You don’t get to choose this or to sign up for this kind of departure. If you could, I would do it. Usually we must break down significantly to get to the point where we can leave. The medical arts give us means to delay the breaking down, but do we really want to delay? For a non-Christian the answer is absolutely. For a Christian it is more complex.
I am willing to stick around if God and others I love truly need me, and I have the faculties to be helpful. Otherwise, I want out. So at some point I am disinclined to use extraordinary medical means. Once dementia is a clear diagnosis, I am a “do not resuscitate”. If I am or will be bed-fast, the same. If I have experienced significant brain damage from a tumor, stroke, oxygen deprivation, let me go. I had a man in my congregation whose lungs were destroyed by Covid and he could only live with a machine breathing for him. It wanted it turned off. I agree. You could argue for a lung transplant. He was cognitively O.K., but past 80. Leave the lungs for a younger person.
Love ones don’t want to grieve you. That is nice, but they will eventually have to. If a person is in Jesus, we don’t want to stay. A greater existence lies just ahead. Minimize the medical. I think it helps to have a living will. It helps more to really talk it out with your medical power of attorney and all who will grieve you. If you are conscience and get a grievous diagnosis, consider getting out now.
What if you are otherwise healthy and get a cancer diagnosis? This is very common. Treatment can provide a cure, lessen pain, or at least prolong life. Do you have a clear reason to prolong it? This may be your way of getting off this ride. It is very individualistic.
If you can, you want to spare your family from making a lot of decisions for you. Be clear. Talk about death. We want to get to the point where dying has as much impact as moving to another country. You are not lapsing into non-existence. You are moving. You are moving up. Seriously up. Those who grieve you will see you later if all are in Christ. Talk like that with each other.
