Afraid to Die
I was 14 years old riding a borrowed 3-wheeler and I was going too fast, especially to be taking on a big curve on a gravel road. My sister, Amy, was on the back, at least she was until we missed the curve. There was a washed out ditch that was just as deep as it was wide. As I positioned the handlebars to make the turn, the 3-wheeler slid in the gravel and took a nose dive into the wash out. Amy went airborne right over my head and landed several feet away. She was shaken and banged up, but thankfully was overall in good shape. The force of the crash threw me as well, but since my leg was trapped behind the handlebars, it snapped my femur in two and dislocated my knee joint in the process.
I remember laying on the ground with Mom picking fire ants off of me while we waited for the ambulance. I guess the sight of my foot facing backward was a little more than she could handle, because after the EMTs loaded me on to the stretcher, they disappeared. They were now tending to my Mom who had passed out on the ground.
We arrived at the hospital around the same time as someone else that had also been in an accident, so there was a lengthy wait before my leg could be tended to. I remember over hearing Mom’s conversation with the doctor about the potential courses of action. Sedate me, set the leg, and place it in a plaster cast for a while to see if it would mend on its own. Or… put me to sleep and perform surgery with rods and screws. Neither sounded like a good option to me, but the thought of being put to sleep for surgery instilled a fear that I can hardly describe. I cried and begged Mom not to allow me to be put to sleep for surgery. The doctor agreed to try the less evasive option first with surgery coming later if needed.
Although I considered myself to be a Christian at a young age, I did not fully have peace about my eternity. I was absolutely terrified of going to sleep and not waking back up. My overwhelming fear was that of death.
Thankfully, I later gave my life fully to Christ and discovered peace and assurance of my salvation. Although I have no desire to die before my time, I also no longer fear death. For those of us that have put our faith in Jesus, we can rest assured that we’ll one day be in a much better place than this world could ever offer.
My prayer this week is that I use opportunities given to me to tell others about the peace they can also have in Christ. We have nothing to fear with death, if we know we will be with Him for eternity.
What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Corinthians 15:50-57
Oh Death - Mercy Me
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