Living Through Preparing to Die
Today has been a fairly routine day for me. My nurse came and drew blood and changed out my IV line. I will continue on my antibiotics until Thursday. I have an appointment tomorrow with my Infectious Disease Doctor. He will look at labs and determine whether or not I need to continue beyond the planned treatment schedule.
I do return to my outpatient therapy at Northern Colorado Rehab Hospital the end of the week. That will be good to have the additional motivation for my continued therapy.
I learned today of a man about my age with West Nile that is not expected to live. I’m not sure of other issues that may have contributed to his condition. I certainly remember that I would not have been one with current health issues that would explain the severity of my case. I am approaching the anniversary date for my surgery. This was the first major surgery that I have ever experienced. I felt that I approached it with some assurance of a good outcome, even though the doctors were upfront about how serious it was, especially given my overall health.
I do vaguely remember having Debbie write down some names of individuals that I wanted to serve as pallbearers for my funeral, “just in case.” I think she accommodated me, but mostly chalked it up to my traumatic brain injury.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “One dies in his full vigor, being wholly at ease and secure,his pailsfull of milk and the marrow of his bones moist. Another dies in bitterness of soul, never having tasted of prosperity. They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them.” Job 21:23-26
Death is not something that is easy to talk about, especially your own. With my work as a pastor and Debbie’s work as a hospice nurse death has been a part of our world. When our daughter, Stephanie graduated from college her first job was working for a funeral home in Cleveland, Tennessee. Many were surprised to find someone so young working with families at the time of grief and helping families prearrange their funerals. She would explain that, “my dad is a pastor and my mother a hospice nurse so it seemed natural.”
Not everyone is as comfortable with the topic. Some take the approach, “I’ll deal with it when it happens.” Others take a more reflective approach. What we see expressed in the words of Job is that death is the great equalizer. Whether in a mansion or a humble home death brings the same end for everyone. For some death is tragic and quick and for some it is prolonged and painful.
Death requires preparation. That “preparation” may be processing your own mortality, as well as practical and spiritual ramifications of death. We read in the Bible the well known words, “set your house in order” as a prequel to death. The idea of thinking about your own mortality leads to the practical and spiritual preparations.
On the practical side there are tools that can help guide family members in the desires of a loved one who is facing death. One of those is called five wishes. https://fivewishesonline.agingwithdignity.org/ Debbie and I recall doing that with her mother just a few weeks before she became critically ill. The decisions that she and her sister made during that time they knew were in keeping with what their mom had expressed.
The Bible is clear that, “it is appointed unto man once to die and after that comes judgement.” (Hebrews 9:27) Preparing for your death financially and practically is a blessing to your family. If it doesn’t happen they will have those who will support and provide as much assistance as possible. However, only you can make the spiritual preparations that are needed for death. That is why the best known verse of the Bible, John 3:16 contains the words, “….that whoever believes in him [Jesus] should not perish but have eternal life.”
The Lord makes provision for our life from birth to beyond death. His desire is for those who place their faith in Him, be with Him forever. That is why the Apostle Paul asserts with confidence, “…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8) That is why Paul said, “…nothing [including death] can separate us from the love of God found in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)
How are your preparations for that inevitable day? What you will find is that those who are the most prepared to die, are those who are the most prepared to live!