Before I get into this, I need to clarify some things. I personally am a follower of Christ, saved by His grace. I am writing about this topic from that perspective, with all the background and thoughts on this coming from the Bible. For anyone who doesn't know the Gospel, first I encourage you to look into it. It will save you and change your life. Secondly, Christians believe that when a Christian dies they go to heaven to be in community with God. This isn't because they were "a good person," but is because Jesus Christ defeated sin and death by dying and then rising from the dead. Thats a super simplified way of explaining it, but it will work for our purposes. That being said, lets talk about the worst thing in the world: death.

First, what is the deal with death? It happens to us all, and odds are we have probably experienced the loss of someone we were close to. People will constantly say "death is part of life." I'm sorry, but that's just not true. When God designed us as human beings, we were not designed to die. We were designed to be in perfect community with God and each other (at that point only Adam and Eve, but my point still stands) for eternity. But then sin came into God's creation, and with it, death. This is why death hurts so much, and why it seems to be the end of the world for people, because we were not designed to die. That is a by-product and strongest weapon that sin has against us. The Bible calls it a "curse" over and over. So thats my first point; death is not part of life, it something that only happens because sin entered the world. The second point is that Jesus Christ defeated death, and it has no hold on Him or any who believe in Him. So what do we do, as those left behind, when someone dies?

Recently I have been thinking about death a lot. My Bepe (beh-pa), which is the Friesian way of saying grandmother, was incredibly close with my mom and her siblings. I was also quiet close with her, and I was the only grandchild of hers that met her as she died of lung cancer in 2000. The day she died just passed, and it's always a very hard time for my mom especially. Also, very recently, this wonderful kid named Josiah Lanier passed away due to a rare form of brain cancer (search "DIPG tumor" to read about it). I coached him in swim, and its been amazing to see how God has worked in his life and those around him over this 13-month journey. So, suffice to say, death has been on my mind recently. I want to talk just a little bit about how people react to death.

One phrase you'll hear a lot is "they're in a better place." Firstly, this is absolutely true. They are in, quite literally, the best place ever. They are no longer in pain, and they are hanging our with our Savior in Heaven. Pretty awesome place. With this being said, I have some issues when people say this sometimes. No matter the intentions, this saying will occasionally minimize the pain and suffering of the loved ones affected. This is usually unintended, but can still happen. We know, as Christians, they are in a much better place. But the thing is, they aren't here with us, which absolutely sucks, and that's just how it is. It is so joyful where they are now, but be aware that those affected will still be in pain.

Another thing I've heard some Christians say is that we shouldn't celebrate life. That it's better to mourn, because of some background in the Old Testament. I'm not discounting anything from the Old Testament, or any ways people may cope, but I have to respectfully, yet completely, disagree. As Christians we shouldn't be beholden to the curse of death. If you haven't realized, our Savior has defeated death. We aren't without hope, and we know that death isn't the end. Death literally has no power over our brothers and sisters in Christ! Why would we be stuck in mourning over death when we know that our loved one who was in Christ is now fully with Christ? Now again, we will still have pain. There is still suffering because our loved one isn't with us right now. This being said, in no way should we avoid celebrating a life, and only mourn their death. That makes absolutely no sense, because our loved one has run the race, and has now gained the presence of Christ.

"13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." –1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Paul even calls death "falling asleep," as he does many other times and others do the same because, as Christians, death is powerless to hold us. We hold to the hope in Christ.

So if you've lost someone who was in Christ, don't lose hope. Yes, death sucks and we are sad they aren't here with us. I am not minimizing any of that pain at all. It truly sucks, that's why being in such a lost and broken world is so terrible. But hold to the words of Paul, cling to the hope in Christ, and "do not grieve like the rest of mankind." Instead, celebrate your loved ones walk with Christ, understand our own pain is as temporary as it is terrible, and know they ran the race our Savior set out for them.

Lastly, if you've lost someone who you don't think was in Christ, never be sure, because His power is strong enough to work in even the last moments. If you have questions about this Jesus thing, please talk to someone you are comfortable with and feel they could give you some guidance.