DISCLAIMER: I will be writing about the most sensitive issue to humans. Please do not read on if you are not ready to read about any sensitive topics.
Context: I am writing about this topic to share my personal view on this subject matter when one day and I don’t know when, I will have to go through it. What I am going to share will apply to me. I am not speaking on anyone’s behalf, I can’t, and I won’t. This writing is an expression of my belief and that’s how I would like for it to be read. Nothing more.
There is one life topic that greatly intrigues me. The interesting thing about it is it’s a topic filled with so much mystery and no human can explain it fully. We know somethings, some things we don't. We know we will go through it, but we don’t know when. Even though we know we will go through it, it still messes us up, as if we had no idea, we would ever go through it (This is natural for humans). The topic is death.
I can’t tell you why this topic intrigues me but may be there is one factor that may have played a part as far as my little understanding is concerned because ultimately God is the one who has wisdom for days and knows everything. He knows exactly why this topic intrigues me. For me I think its because death came knocking on my door when I was 6 when my dad was killed. I also think another factor that may play a part is my natural curiosity for anything I don’t know. If I find I don’t know something and it intrigues me, I will look high and low for some answers. The storage, archiving and retrieval of this information I learn is another phenomenon that needs divine intervention. Something like politics that doesn’t intrigue me, I will not go seeking for any answers.
Those two reasons have been the inner core of my interest in this topic… I think. On top of that I grew up in a society where death was common. I was always grateful, and my little self would pray that it wouldn’t affect our family and God answered that prayer. Then in 2002 (mom’s brother) and 2014 (maternal grandma) death appeared to stop affecting people out there somewhere and came close again. Then in 2020, someone I didn’t know, never met, saw once, on big screen, passed away and I was shedding tears like they were my close relative! I then started thinking about how as human beings and particularly as people who believe in Jesus we respond to death and actually need to respond to death. I wrote this on my FB post in august 2020 when Chadwick Boseman died.
“I’ve been trying to look at death different to how the world sees death. These are therefore my own personal beliefs.
It’s NOT final. It’s NOT the end. Sadly, it can also happen at ANY time of a human’s life. It definitely is NOT in vain.
I see death as the end of a person’s assignment on earth.
There is no doubt, sadness & grief comes with that!!!
But!!! I chose to look & remember the fact that one day we SHALL!!! meet again with our loved ones.
I pray for anyone who has lost a loved one. May God give you strength, comfort & peace beyond human understanding.”
I don’t know why his death got to me. Granted I’d watched Black Panther more than 5 times but is that enough to shed tears. Apparently, the answer is yes because later it came to me that love is not compartmentalised to only people you know. So long as someone has positively touched you even if its in entertainment, you feel something for them that you don’t know till they’re gone. My little understanding on this is that we are creatures of love, and we can’t help but love. It may not be the same love as for our friends or family, but the same way sin is sin, love is love. So long as you feel it even if its 2%, it is there. When the person then passes away, the one you’ve never met, don’t be shocked if you respond with tears. You are a creature of your Father in heaven. God is love, and we were created in the image of love, so we love.
I have said in previous posts nothing we do is ever random. So that desire of mine to look at death differently was not just my curiosity. I now strongly believe God was preparing me on that 29th August 2020 for September 17th, 2021, when I would lose my cousin. I know I have said previously I will talk about her, and I promise I will.
My testimony is, that desire to look at death differently than the world aka when God was preparing me, is one of the many reasons I feel I have dealt with the grief that came with my cousin’s loss, in a healthy way. Healthy for me means I allow myself to cry when I feel I need to and as per the Excellent Book says, I mourn with hope. My Hope is Jesus is coming again and all our loved ones who died in him, we shall meet again. With that belief, I will not say “death is final” or is “the end”. I really hate and detest hearing the former, especially when it comes from someone I know believes in Jesus because if you do, you need to believe in the resurrection which is our hope in this matter that seemingly sets out to defeat us. The devil is a liar, nothing is too hard for the Lord and death certainly isn’t hard for him either. Ask Jesus he paid the price.
There are so many lies about death in this world, and you know the father of lies is behind all of them. They are lies because you will not find any of them in the Excellent Book in any shape or form. Another reason they are not dismissed as they should be, is because they offer some kind of comfort, soothing and relief. I 100% get that because even me, just until recently I believed some of these lies. It was so nice to think that all my loved ones were in one place talking and laughing together. Nothing like this is in the Excellent Book.
The Excellent Book either talks about things directly e.g., Do not Kill, love is not rude or there is a main principle or umbrella, through the entire book, that will now set the tone of what you should do e.g., love your neighbour as yourself. Themes will be repeated. So, these lies are lies because nothing about them is there in the Bible. The best way is to read and check for yourself. For every phrase you hear when someone dies, look for the source in the Excellent Book, whether direct or main principle or theme. You will find which is true which is a lie. If you don’t know what to do when you discover the lie, ask your Father in the words of Phoebe Buffet, what you should do with this brand-new information.
Someone may ask what’s the harm in believing the lies especially if they are soothing me at a time when I am in despair? The harm is that once you believe one lie you will continue to open up and believe other lies. Humans being humans become defensive and turn a blind eye to the truth. We can’t turn a blind eye to the truth of God. If we are struggling, let us pray for help. It’s always there for us. The harm is that as a child of God and believer of Jesus our focus and priority needs to be on what He has said. Did God say we are ugly? No! In fact, he said we are fearfully and wonderfully made so reject that lie immediately. Lies damage your spirit which damages your mind which damages your body (this spirit, mind, body connection I learnt from a fabulous book called “Thirst” by Dr C.W. Knight). We should be concerned with what God says not what the world, the media, influencers, governments say.
Then on a deeper level its still what does God (Trinity) say not my church, denomination, elder, or pastor. God has to have the first and last say. Em isn’t he the alfa and omega, so if he hasn’t said it, we shouldn’t believe it. As with all things may we always ask him for guidance and open our hearts to receive what he wants us to receive, learn, know and believe. Faith is not about ego, pride, stubbornness, and defensiveness. If those are the headliners, we need to talk to God, something has gone amiss. The beautiful thing is when we ask, he will answer, in his time. Trust God and his process.
Based on my little understanding of the Bible, I then came up with the below for that day when I would have finished my earthly assignment. A date and mode that only God knows.
When I die, it means I have actually gone to sleep (Jesus said this about Lazarus, Jairus daughter etc).
A sleep that only Jesus can wake me up from.
When you miss me and have such sad feelings, don’t tell me because I can’t hear, I’m asleep.
Tell Jesus how you feel, just as you would for anything and he will heal, comfort, and strengthen you with peace that surpasses human understanding aka he will do something phenomenal especially for you.
Me if you tell me when I’m asleep, I guarantee you absolutely nothing will happen.
Talk to the one who can do something for you. Talk to the one who created everything. Talk to the one who tells the storm be quiet and it goes quiet i.e., it obeys him (side note: do you realise all creation obeys God except these ones who are made in his image. What is wrong with us please?)
Me I can’t do for you anything when I’m asleep, I’m asleep!
And on my birthday, PLEASE do not wish me happy birthday. I am asleep. HBD is for the living.
I am asleep and it’s a peaceful sleep throughout, till Jesus Wakes me up. I don’t know about happy; I don’t know about birthday I don’t know about day. I’m asleep.
Don’t wish me Happy heavenly birthday. I am not in heaven. Only God, the One who will wake me up and is seated on the right seat, Enoch, Elijah (E clan) and the angels are there.
I am asleep 6 feet under waiting for Jesus to wake me up and take me to heaven with all the other saints.
I am not resting/dancing with the angels so don’t tell me to do such things with them. I can’t. I am asleep.
The angels live in heaven and until I wake up, I am resting dust to dust, not in heaven.
Have you ever danced in your sleep when you’re alive? And you want me to dance with them when there is no circulation anywhere because I’m asleep.
When Jesus wakes me up, he will give me a spakoring new body that will never sleep again and then I will dance and sing for the Lord nonstop. That is your hope when I go to sleep.
By his Grace and I really pray so, I would have walked in faith and would be in that first cohort that will meet him in the sky as per 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Here is your hope again, and I agree it is very hard to but please don’t be discouraged. Is your pain too hard for the Lord?
My sleep should not be captured, covered or commemorated by the lies of the world aka the lies of the devil, that: I’m in heaven, I’m resting with the angels, I spoke to someone (don’t go talking to Teresa Caputo and ‘em, I don’t know where she gets her powers from but it is not from Jesus who will wake me up), I am a butterfly, my spirit tampered with the radio or tv and a song I like played for you.
I am asleep, I don’t know nothing and not doing nothing and can’t do nothing until Jesus wakes me up. My body has stopped working. My brain is asleep, heart asleep and everything asleep…till Jesus wakes me up.
You have you ever spoken to anyone in your sleep, and yet you’re alive, so if I’m asleep, how am I talking to you. If it happens those are the false miracles the father of lies is performing.
In your sleep have you celebrated a birthday, or you had to be conscious and dance around. So, if I’m asleep how am I celebrating anything or dancing with anyone.
I’m asleep, my body is not working…till Jesus wakes me up.
All this I got from the Truth aka the one who will wake me up. It’s all there in black, white and red. The red is the power that is vested in him that will wake me up.
When I’m asleep, there’s not much you can do, but what you can do is respect these wishes when that day comes, a day that only God knows.
Another thing you can do, si you become friends with the one who will wake me up. As in someone so powerful and loving like this, who will bring me back to life, why won’t you hang out with him. Walk with him and talk with him while being bold and asking all the questions you’ve wanted to ask.
Him who? the Truth, aka the Resurrection (the process by which I will be woken up) aka the one who will destroy death, the final enemy, aka Jesus himself.
How do you hang out with him when you don’t physically see or feel him? Read your Bible aka the Excellent Book, pray (talk and listen to him) and only believe. By God’s Grace we will then meet again.
Ok, ok, I know it’s hard so that’s why you must also call this other friend. He will help you; He will strengthen you and he will pray for you better than you can pray for yourself even on your bestestest day. What’s his name? By the way he has many names, Counsellor, me I call him Divine Teacher, Helper (the one who has helped me write this), but officially he is the Holy Spirit.
Why I’m saying make these Divine Friends is because if we don’t meet again, it will be because one of us didn’t believe. Imagine, just like that.
Me going to sleep is not the tragedy, the real tragedy is if we don’t meet again when Jesus wakes me up.
RELATED VERSES
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, John 11:25-26, John 3:16, John 8:51, 1 Corinthians 15: 42-45, Psalm 49:15, John 5:25, James 4:4, Revelation 21:4, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 34:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Philippians 4:6, 1 John 4:7-21, Genesis 1:27, Psalm 37:23-24, Psalm 33:20-22, Psalm 139:14, 1 Peter 5:7, 2 Thessalonians 2:9,
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