Fear Itself

I’ve worked in a rehab hospital for the past five years and previously worked at a long-term nursing facility for a decade. Yes, a nursing home. I’ve seen and interacted with people in the end stages of their lives. Everything from early onset dementia, full blown Alzheimer’s disease, cancers of all kinds, muscular degeneration, and just plain ole Old Age. The oldest person I encountered was “Mama Macon”, who was somewhere in the neighborhood of one hundred and six years old when she passed away, depending on which family member you listened to. I’ve seen folks scared to die, and I’ve seen folks that looked forward to it. Regardless of either reaction, we all get to the end of the line eventually. The Big Guy designed us to have an immortal soul, but these bodies will give out in the end, no matter how well we care for them.  

As a man of sixty I’ve thought long about what happens when we leave this mortal shell behind. I believe in the Good Book when it tells us of heaven and hell. I’ve given my heart to Jesus some decades ago and I know I have a place in heaven. Not to get preachy, but my faith is in the Son of God and the sacrifice He made in coming to this world and being the Master Teacher and sacrifice for my life and my sin. He lives in my heart and no matter how bad this old world gets, I know He always holds me in His hand. Gods got me.  

That being said, I’d like you to know that I still wonder about what eternity will be like. I’d like to think that we retain our individuality and what makes our soul unique. The experience of transforming into an eternal form is exhilarating, even while being a bit scary to contemplate. I wonder how it will happen. What will it “feel” like? Will we even still “feel”? Being in the presence of God will, undoubtedly, be awesome, but right now it’s totally unfathomable. My mind has no point of reference that even comes close. Movies and books can only touch the outer realm of understanding the eternal. It boggles the mind.  

My biggest fear isn’t death. It’s a part of our story, our lives, just as a book has an ending. My biggest fear isn’t the pain and suffering that may accompany the end process. I’m excited about where my soul will go when I’m finished on this earth. I’d say that my biggest fear is leaving this world without full knowledge that I made an effort to tell those around me that they, too, can spend eternity with God. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself and to love God with all your heart, mind and strength. I want you to know that He loves you enough to die for you. And He’s taken care of your sin and brought you into a place where all you have to do is accept Him. Then you can spend eternity with Him. Without Him, eternity will be a dark and lonely place. A place of never-ending fear. Fear itself.  Think about it. Pray about it. He’s right there, waiting for you. No fear.  

God Bless Y’all.  

---