Tag Archives: death

Why Do We Want to Live Forever?

There is something strange about the way human beings think about death. We know we’re going to die. Nobody is surprised by this information, and yet something deep within humanity keeps reaching for life. Why is that?”

One would think going to a funeral would be a big clue, or the fact that we see ourselves aging over the years. And yet, we spend an incredible amount of time, energy, and money trying not to die.

David Sinclair, a genetics professor at Harvard Medical School and prominent longevity researcher, has even discussedthe possibility that advances in aging research could dramatically extend human lifespan. Think about that. We aren’t just trying to live healthier. We’re trying to figure out how to keep living.

In addition, it doesn’t take too many conversations with friends to hear them talk about taking supplements, drinking shakes, and trying any new fad to help them prolong death as much as possible. 

We monitor our blood pressure, cholesterol, heart rate, sleep cycles, steps, calories, and whatever else our watch decides we should be worried about today. None of those things are bad, and taking care of our bodies is good. But, why is everyone so determined to stay alive?

DEATH ISN’T NORMAL

Sometimes people will say at a funeral, “Death is just a natural part of life.” But we don’t really believe that do we? If death is simply natural, why do we fight it so hard? Why does the death of someone we love feel so wrong? Maybe it’s because somewhere deep within the human experience, we know death isn’t the way things are supposed to be. 

The opening chapters of Genesis tell a very different story about death than our culture often does. Genesis 1–2 describes humanity living in God’s creation with access to life for eternity. There’re no texts from a family member in the middle of the night about someone going to the hospital. Everything is perfect! But, then Genesis 3 happens and sin fractures everything God created to be good.

One of those consequences is that death is coming, “For you are dust and dust you shall return.” Genesis doesn’t ask us to make peace with death by pretending death is beautiful. Genesis says death is an enemy. Something has gone terribly wrong and death is like an alarm to humanity going off, “Something is wrong.”

DEATH IS COMING

Maybe that explains something about humanity? We were created for life, so that even though we know death is coming, we are trying our hardest to live as long as possible, so that we don’t have to think about the inevitable. 

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with going to the doctor or exercising. Please go to the doctor. But underneath our efforts to extend life is an interesting human longing: we don’t want this to end. But Genesis 3 keeps ringing the alarm: death is coming. 

AND THEN JESUS SHOWS UP

Isn’t it interesting that when Jesus shows up He largely talks about life? It’s like He knows the longings of our soul! Jesus could talk about so many different subjects but instead He makes bold claims like, “I am life!”

In fact, Jesus confronts death at the cross and 3 days later conquers death. Jesus doesn’t simply offer people advice about how to make the most of the years they have left. He doesn’t give helpful tips on how to live life. Instead, Jesus says, “I know where you can find life!”

Elsewhere Jesus describes Himself as the bread of life. In a conversation with a woman Jesus offers living water. It’s almost as though Jesus keeps speaking directly into this ancient longing humanity has carried since Genesis 3.

We say: “I don’t want to die.” Jesus says: “Come to Me and you can live.” We have a longing for something that lasts and Jesus says, “Come to Me and you will find everlasting life.” Genesis 3 says humanity will return to the dust, so Jesus goes into the grave, the very thing humanity has spent its entire existence trying to escape, and He rises from the dead.

DEATH IS STILL COMING

Death is still real and painful, but now through faith in Jesus, death is no longer final. This doesn’t mean followers of Jesus can stop caring about their health. It doesn’t mean we don’t grieve at funerals. But followers of Jesus can walk into those moments with a different kind of hope.

Our hope isn’t: “I’m sure the doctor will give me good news.” Our hope is: “Whatever the doctor tells me, I’m with Jesus.” We can pray boldly for healing in scary moments because we believe God is powerful enough to heal, but we can also wait confidently in those moments when He doesn’t heal.

Christian hope isn’t confidence that everything will work out the way we want. It’s confidence that Jesus has already determined how the story ultimately ends. That’s why a follower of Jesus can grieve deeply and still have hope. We aren’t pretending death doesn’t hurt. We’re declaring that death doesn’t win.

Practical Steps with Grief

Over the last few years I have received a lesson in grief that I wasn’t looking to learn.  My mother passed away in 2021.  My brother passed away in 2022, and just recently my father-in-law passed away suddenly.  

When my mother and brother passed away so close to one another I reached out to a class called Grief Share.  Grief Share is located in most cities and a great resource to help people learn about grief and acknowledge grief practically.  

There are 7 primary lessons I learned through Grief Share:

  1. I learned about grief. Grief is the emotional reaction of sorrow.  Sometimes grief can be brought on by loss of a loved one, physical or emotional pain or a type of suffering we might experience in life.  It’s possible in our culture in the United States we are so uncomfortable with grief that we might only think of grief in the “most horrible” situations.  But it would be better to see grief on a spectrum. There are different levels of grief.  There are different levels of intensity as we go through seasons of grief. 
  2. Death isn’t a normal part of life. People will say things like this when you experience loss.  However, the Bible teaches us that God created us to experience eternal life.  Death in fact, is the result of our sin, therefore, grieving, sorrow, sadness and mourning are all appropriate ways to respond to death. 
  3. God grieves. Again, God created the world to be perfect, therefore, any death we see in the world is grieving to the Lord.  So much so He took on flesh to take the ultimate death upon Himself, so that we don’t have to grieve for eternity. 
  4. We can grieve intentionally or accidentally.  Grief is going to come out of our soul at some point.  We can ignore, suppress, avoid, escape but at some point grief will come to the surface, therefore, don’t shy away from grief.  Even scheduling moments in your day or week to acknowledge the pain of death and the hope we have in Jesus can be helpful. 
  5. Don’t try to go through grief alone. You don’t have to open your heart and mind to everyone but it is good to have a few trusted friends who will weep with you in grief.  We need godly friends who will acknowledge our pain and remind us of the hope we have in Jesus. 
  6. You can get trapped in grief. Grief is alluring.  There is something attractive about giving ourselves over to sadness, therefore, we want to always invite Jesus into our grief.  Jesus cares about our grief.  Jesus is familiar with grief and sorrow. Jesus has overcome grief, therefore, we want to grieve with Jesus. 
  7. Learn from your loss. Going through the loss of a friend or family member is difficult, but there are valuable lessons.  Have you prepared necessary legal documents? The investment in a notarized will is essential.  Have you communicated to your spouse about financial details?  Have you had important conversations?  Every day matters.  Going through grief can help us appreciate every day and make the most of those opportunities.  

Most of all, I have found rekindling our relationship with the Lord in the midst of grief can be the most difficult.  When we experience emotional pain or loss it often touches us in the deepest part of our soul, which is many times set apart only for the Lord.  

Before grief there is this deep part of our soul where only the Lord had ventured but in grief there is a pain that breaks into our soul, so that we might find it difficult to distinguish between grief and the Lord.

It’s okay.  We don’t have to rush back to that place but we do want to build a process of restoring those parts of our faith.  It may take time, but if we take intentional steps, we can definitely get there.