On The Day I Die
Not everyone knows the day they’re going to die. It could certainly be a difficult and anxious day, knowing you won’t see your loved ones on this side of eternity. But, depending on the circumstances, it could be a benefit to know that, in a little while, the excruciating pain you might be experiencing will come to an end.
I’m not aware what percentage of people know the day they’re going to die. According to one study, New Years’ Day is the #1 mortality day (Holliday, 2021). In the same article, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, August 2 is the day that, statistically, you’re mostly likely to die while driving (Holliday, 2021). The website OurWorldinData.org lists projections on the probability of dying by age (OurWorldinData.org, 2019).
King Solomon seems to have had some idea about when we might die. He mused rather bleakly, “The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, NLT). Not the most encouraging Bible verse, is it?
So then, why am I writing about the day I might die? Because I wondered whether on that day my behavior would be any different than any other day. If I knew the day I was going to die, I would certainly wake up and embrace my last moments on this “terra firma.” I would hug my wife and hold her more tightly and passionately than any other day. But why wouldn’t I do this any and every day?
On the day I was going to die[BC1] , I would certainly reach out to each of my kids to remind them how much I love them and encourage them to stay true to their faith. But again, why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I wonder if it would be a sunny, spring day with stunning clouds and perfect weather? Maybe it would be a fall day with the air crisp and the leaves changing from a green tint to a dazzling multicolor array? No, it will probably be a cloudy day, maybe even rainy. No matter, because the beauty of the day is not in the weather, you see, but in the people with whom you spend your time. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I would hope I might be a little more patient with my coworkers and with that guy who cut me off on the highway, knowing I would travel this road only one more time. I would hope I would be kinder to my dog as he barks incessantly at every stranger, squirrel, truck, and cat passing by our house. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, it probably wouldn’t matter to me who was the president of the United States, or the vice president; or my governor or senator. It probably wouldn’t matter as much to me on that day as it has over the past few weeks. I would hope, on that day, my heart would be thankful for the privilege I’ve had living in this incredible nation — more unique than any in history before or since — where I express my thoughts as I choose, live securely, prosper from my own hard work ,and worship my Savior without fear of reprisal or judgment.
On the day I was going to die, I would hope the things that seem so important to me right now would not be the focus of my attention on that day. They probably weren’t that important on any day really. Whether my shirt and pants match or whether things are lined up correctly in the dishwasher — are these things really so important? How many times did I make my wife crazy by moving things around to set them up perfectly for the wash? Would I worry about whether all my books are lined up correctly on the shelf or whether my clothes were hung in the places where I insisted, they be hung in the closet? Why did I make these things so important? They won’t be so important on the day I die. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I probably wouldn’t worry about all the money I had in the bank and whether I had enough to last through my retirement years. I may wonder why I didn’t give more of it away and trust my Father in Heaven to take care of me, since He has “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). I hope on that day I will have invested in building treasures in heaven and not too many treasures on earth (Matthew 6:19-21). Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I wonder if I would experience entering a dark tunnel, moving closer and closer to a shining bright light? Many people who have experienced near-death trauma report this type of encounter, along with an incredible joy, or the awareness of entering the presence of some higher-power, fully conscious being (JP Staff, 2023). Recent scientific research claims these things are really not part of a spiritual encounter but are more along the lines of post-death brain activity (Xu, et al., 2023). These researchers say dying patients activate parts of the brain that handle internal visual activity like dreaming (Xu, et al., 2023). This is how science explains why dying patients see a bright light or familiar faces, like those of loved ones, in the moments before passing from life here to life eternal.
I don’t really know if that’s just science trying to explain away the supernatural or not. In the few instances recorded in the Bible where a human being encounters the Holy God, great fear overtakes them (Isaiah 6:5; Matthew 17:6). I do know that, on the day I die, it won’t be a dream. It will be a real experience, seeing those I love who have professed faith in Jesus Christ awaiting my arrival (Matthew 8:11; Hebrews 2:9-13). I also know that, on the day I die and am absent from my body, I will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). On the day I die, I expect to see Jesus Christ on His throne and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:21,23 ESV).
So, at the end of all this, is there a reason behind me writing about the day I was going to die? Do I know something about my last days that I’m not sharing with anyone else? Not really.
But we all know the saying, “If you aim at nothing, you’re sure to hit it.” I want to aim to live each day as if it were actually the last day of my life. I want to do that because I want to cherish each day God has given me and embrace both the joys and the challenges He presents to each of us. I plan to exhaust myself and my resources being thankful for each problem I need to solve and each obstacle I need to overcome. Knowing this could be my last day makes each moment, each encounter, and each breath more precious than the next. As Mother Teresa said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin” (GoodReads, n.d.). So let us begin today!
Sources:
GotQuestions.org (n.d.). What Happens After Death? Got Questions Ministries. Retrieved from https://www.gotquestions.org/what-happens-after-death.html.
GoodReads (n.d.). Mother Teresa Quotes. GoodReads.com. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/838305.Mother_Teresa.
Holliday, D. (2021, June 2). Study Claims to Know Day You’re Most Likely to Die On. K923.FM. Retrieved from https://k923.fm/study-claims-to-know-day-youre-most-likely-to-die-on/.
JP Staff (2023, May 3). New study may explain bright light, familiar faces in near death experiences. Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-spirit/article-741912.
OurWorldinData.org (2019). Probability of Dying, by age, United States 2019. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/probability-of-dying-by-age?country=~USA.
Xu, G., Mihaylova, T., Li, D., Tian, F., Farrehi, P. M., Parent, J. M., Mashour, G. A., Wang, M. M., & Borjigin, J. (2023). Surge of neurophysiological coupling and connectivity of gamma oscillations in the dying human brain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120(19), e2216268120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2216268120.
[BC1]Each of the seven paragraphs in a row that start with “On the day I was going to die” can be shortened to “On the day I die.” I left them because the previous paragraph (#4) sets up the ones that follow.
