Food for Thought: Dying Well

I once taught a series of classes for my church called “Living Fully/Dying Well” based on a book by Ruben Job. The main goal of the course was to help people prepare for end-of-life issues. It urges us to ask the question, “Do I have my physical, financial and spiritual affairs in order?” Some of the topics for discussion included: Accepting our Mortality, Aging Well, Getting It All Together, Dying Well, What Happens When We Die and Making the Most of the Time We Have.

Predictably, since the class was scheduled on weekday afternoons, the class members were mostly widows in their 80s, most of whom already had their affairs in order. The clientele the course should have attracted (had it been an evening course) would ideally have been people in their 50s and 60s. It is never too early to think about such topics. Most people under 65 do not want to think about death and dying. They are just starting to think about retirement and all the living they still plan to do. “Dying is for old people!” Unfortunately, young people die too.

For the course, I brought in excellent speakers on everything from long-term care insurance, wills and trusts, staying active, hospice care and the cost of funerals. I was just sorry that, many people who really should be thinking about such topics simply are not ready or willing to do so.

There is great comfort in knowing that should you die tomorrow, your family will be okay. There is also comfort in knowing that should you live to over a hundred, you yourself will be taken care of. Furthermore, the greatest comfort of all is knowing that no matter when you die, there is a place for you in Heaven.

One of my favorite illustrations in Job’s book is a story he told about a walk he took with his three-year-old grandson. They were just walking up out of a wooded area, that to a child was very strange and scary, and it was getting dark. The child grabbed his grandfather’s hand and asked to be carried until, through the trees, he could see a light and exclaimed with relief, “Grandma’s house!” He wriggled down to walk the rest of the way by himself. Job wrote that dying might be something like that for those who are well prepared. It might be scary and mysterious, but once we see the light we will feel a peaceful glow, knowing that we will soon be in the warm embrace of deceased loved ones and our Lord and Savior.