17. The farther I go on my spiritual journey the less anxious I am about what happens to me when I die.
On a scale of one to ten with ten being the most fearful, how would you rate your fear of death?
Take time to reflect on your answer; why is it so, and what would you like it to be?
Can you imagine feeling like the Apostle Paul who said that “to die is gain”? Reflect on how you feel about this. What are the obstacles, invitations or opportunities?
What things would you most miss if your life ended now?
Death is obviously a significant place in our spiritual journey. Although most of us believe that death is not the final step on our journey, none of us know for sure what happens after we die. When we think about our life and reflect on our spiritual journey, it is natural to have anxiety about our afterlife.
For some, a strong belief in hell may cause the anxiety to be significant. Even for those who doubt the existence of hell, death remains a source of uncertainty and anxiousness. Others believe in hell, are sure of heaven, but still worry about seeing Jesus face to face and having their “works” burn up rather than receiving His “well done, good and faithful servant”?
As we progress on our spiritual journey, especially as we come to know Jesus as friend and experience God in real and convincing ways, thoughts of our death concern us less.
The greater the reality of our present life with God, the more confident we become of our future life with God.
There have been times in the history of Christianity when believers were invited to live with an increased awareness of their death. Imagining and thinking about one’s death created a motivation to live differently in the present. This practice can be helpful in early phases on our journey as it helps us let go of things that distract our attention and devotion to God.
But in later stages, death will seem like a rather minor event for us. As we experience the abundance that Jesus brings into our current lives, we begin to release our attachments to the things that bind us to this earthly life and we grow to desire our future life with God more than our present one.
The Apostle Paul gives us this picture when he says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:21-24, NIV).