Certain subjects are just not discussed in polite company.

  • Sex
  • Politics
  • Potty training
  • The Kardashians
  • Death

OK, so maybe death is not the best conversation topic at a wedding reception, but I’ve never quite understood our distaste for talking about death and anything related to it. In the Victorian era, people never broached the subject of sex, but they openly talked about death. These days it’s just the opposite: people freely talk about sex, but change the subject when death comes up.

In another blog, I mentioned my visit to the National Museum of Funeral History. Frequently, when I’ve told someone about this visit (I’ve been twice!), the response is along the same lines. “Why? That sounds so … morbid.”

FuneralI strongly believe it is healthy to talk about death. As ironic as it sounds, death is a part of life. We want to shelter our kids from the reality of death, but in so doing, we don’t help them with the inevitable: we all eventually die.

The COVID-19 crisis we are enduring right now has put the reality of death in the daily news. Why are we singing “Happy Birthday” twice while we wash our hands? Why are we stockpiling toilet paper in case of a quarantine? We want to protect ourselves from catching the virus and facing the possibility of death! It’s wise to do all we can to avoid death, but it’s also wise to prepare ourselves for death.

Death—and talking about it—doesn’t bother me. Why? Because of the resurrection. Death is not the end of the road for those who are in Christ—the resurrected Savior and Son of God. Christ has risen from the dead; therefore, our victory over death is a sure thing. In fact, for believers, the life we experience after death is far greater than any life we have before death.

Check out this brief video from Francis Chan. He gives a clear illustration of eternity.

Let’s talk about death. It happens—and it happens to all of us. But let’s talk even more about the resurrection and eternal life that follow.  We experience an incredible life after death when our trust and full commitment is placed in Christ.

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

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This post supports the study “Holy Vocabulary: Eternal Life” in Bible Studies for Life and YOU.

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