Not sure where else to post this

[dbach]

Hello Folks:
I hope I am allowed to ask a question such as this, as this is a topic I typically like to avoid and for good reason - I'm probably not alone in feeling this way.
Does anyone have any suggestions for someone that is VERY afraid of death and dying? I hope this is a LONG way off, but just want to learn some coping mechanisms and how to become less afraid of the subject.
Thank you for any responses or suggestions.
God bless,
Darryl

 

[ottawa girl]

Darryl

Yup. Petrified- initially. Despite faith and belief in the hereafter.

For me now, it's become not so much "the going" but "the leaving". Reaching this point, I believe, is a result of prayer. As Annie's Phil pointed out in a post recently: "deliberate and willful prayer". I pray for faith. I try not to let my mind wander - not always successfully.

We know, we are all going to die. It's inevitable. But our culture keeps up in constant denial by promoting the fountain of youth. The fountain of forever. Consequently, we forget about death. We dismiss it. It's unspoken. Children are shielded from it. We replace dead gold fish so little Susie or Johnnie is spared the trauma and is spared the reality. We stunt our children's ability to see the big picture. We protect them from even knowing about death. We largely take life and health for granted. Death happens - to other people.

For me, prayer (or call it meditation) brings stillness. Sometimes. If I'm lucky, those sweet occasions also bring me peace. Relief. Deep down in my gut- peacefulness. Akin to the rush I used to get when passing the 30K marker during a marathon and feeling I could fly. Peace.

I think if humanity acknowledged death, from the get go, we'd have fewer wars and less suffering. We'd be spending our efforts on living more gently and abandoning egocentric pursuits. We'd be living, like it is our last day. We'd be living love. Love of self and love of others.

Am I still spooked by death? Absolutely - but less so.

Darryl, I recite your Miracle Prayer everyday. It's becoming more meaningful every day. Thank you for that. I believe in miracles, and I know I'm not alone. There are angels around me - some with wings and some disguised as people.

You're my angel this day.

 

[CGARS]

Darryl,
I for one plan to live forever.

I feel that the thing that separates the living from the dead is the memories others hold of us.

The more memories I make with friends and family, the more I live on it them.

I feel, our bodies are only rentals (yes, we got the sh*t end of the stick on that one) but the other two elements of life (mind & soul) can compensate for the body.

Live is for living. Lets just worry about death when it happens.

People say "Ah, it's crappy out today. It's raining."
I say "Awesome, where's the rainbow?"

Hope you find your rainbow today, and everyday.

Cheers,
Casey

 

[dbach]

WOW, thank you for responding Casey and Elaine. I'm going to read these responses on a regular basis as I find them BOTH so profound and encouraging. It's unfortunate to have been afflicted with this disease but it's fortunate that it has allowed me to meet people like both of you, and the others that I will continue to meet through this journey.
Thanks again for responding, truly great sources of inspiration and encouragement and did mention - terrific friends!
Darryl

 

[Annie's Phil]

Hi Darryl,

I think most people can relate to your fears. Most folks can put off consideration of death for some indefinite time in the future - we simply want to ignore the inevitable fact of our own deaths. We intellectually acknowledge our eventual deaths, but emotionally and practically we are in denial of it. But receiving a diagnosis of ALS or some other terminal disease disabuses us of the notion that we can ignore it. In truth, being jolted out of our denial of it, having our willful neglect of consideration of it slapped out our hands, so to speak, can be a great blessing.

So where does one turn for answers, insight, comfort, consolation, hope, joy, and confidence in the inevitable prospect of our own deaths and those of the ones that we love and cherish?

My earnest recommendation is that you spend every possible minute reading the New Testament of the Bible. But read it with a genuine heart to know the truth with an eager willingness to embrace the truth as God reveals it to you. One of the verses you will read there is Romans 10:17 " So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ." You will find your faith increasing as you immerse yourself in the Word of God with a heart open to the truth.

It is Jesus Himself that tells us "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8) So if we approach Him in His Word with an honest heart to know the truth and seek it from Him, He will give it - abundantly.

You will find much assurance in the Scriptures that this life we know here is so small and paltry compared to the eternity He has prepared for those who love Him. As He tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:9 "but just as it is written,“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

And Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

And these verses from 2 Corinthians Chapter 5:

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.


...13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.


...17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

And there's the verse I use for my signature, John 11:25. Our physical deaths are only a temporary state. Not only are our conscious minds and spirits immediately in the presence of Jesus upon our physical deaths, but He Himself will at the proper time restore to us new, eternal, flawless physical bodies.

This is just a small sampling of the content of the Scriptures. My recommendation is that you start with the Gospel of John, then the remaining gospels. Next I would recommend the epistle to the Romans. Then I'd read the remaining epistles and Revelation. Read them all over and over and over. The Lord will give you a "peace that surpasses all comprehension." (Philippians 4:7)

I can tell you than my beloved wife, Annie, had an incredible sense of peace and confidence and was eager to be done with this life here and go on to enjoy the presence and glory of Jesus whom she knew and loved, and Who knew and loved her. Annie's forum username was Abbas Child and you can find thousands of her posts. She also started a thread titled "Christians Here for Support" which periodically gets closed because of its size, but then restarted. The current one was started by Judith and is under the "Other" section. She entitled it "Christians Here to Support". So you might want to visit those threads.


The Lord's grace and peace be with you, Darryl.

 

[dbach]

Thank you SO much for those words of encouragement and direction. I found it very interesting that just reading the various scriptures you posted in the message had a calming effect over me as I read them. Can I add you as a friend Phil? I need other sources of inspiration and information and I think there is a reason that you responded and I enjoyed reading your message.
Thank you again, there really are angels among us, some have their wings and others haven't received them yet, but are very deserving of them.
Sincerely your PAL,
Darryl

 

[Annie's Phil]

I would be delighted to be added to your friends list Darryl.

May His peace overflow you.

 

[dbach]

Hello Annie's Phil, I've added you as a contact and you should have as well received a friend request.
Your PAL,
Darryl

 

[johnnyliverpool1]

well love...my old landlord had 11 heart attacks before he died.....after his 8 or 9th he turned to me and said....every time i have an attack, johnny, i ave died and take it from me dieing is a piece of cake....he always said he was gonna beat eisenhowers record of 15...this is very reassuring to say the least........hope it helps you.....johnny

 

[lesawithan"e"]

“You do not have a soul. You ARE a soul. You have a body.”

 

[mysticunicorn66]

Live each day the best you can. I can tell you from experience that God uses things like this to do his most wonderful work on us. I don't have ALS, but have been caregiver for my FIL and to a greater extent, my sister. I can tell you that in every challenge we faced, God helped us by placing people in our paths to help us along as my sister and I journeyed along during her time from diagnosis until her death. We laughed, we cried, but more importantly, our love for each other grew to a wonderful, profound depth that quite honestly was never there beforehand. You are a wonderful person who just happens to have ALS...you don't have to let it have the forefront. I have a dear friend who has ALS. You know what she is doing? She educates herself on the disease, but she is making wonderful memories with her husband, kids, grandkids. She sings in the church choir when her body cooperates to allow her to come. She tutored school age kids in her home this summer and she is working with a committee in our church to raise funds for an organization who helps wounded veterans. She also visits nursing home residents. For as long as you can, live your life in a way that you can positively affect people around you by sharing the gift of love for another. You will find that it not only lifts you up to do so, but more importantly, a smile from you can make another person's day even brighter. Praying for you. ((smile)).