Death or Sleep?

1 Corinthians15: 54-55  (NLT) When . . . our earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die - then at last the scriptures will come true:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory

O death, where is your sting?

 

Anyone who's lost a loved one knows the sting of death.  Whether its watching a loved one die in an agonizingly slow way, or losing someone you love unexpectedly, death is never easy to swallow.  My first experience with death was my grandmother's.   When I was in the seventh grade we lost her to Alzheimer's.  Watching her bear the brunt of the disease was painful enough, but I wasn't prepared for the rush of emotions that came over me when she passed away.   I remember lying in bed at night, staring at the clock, trying to wrap my brain around the fact that she was gone.  Months later, as my heart began to heal, I experienced feelings of guilt - guilt over the fact that life was moving on, that I wasn't missing her as much, that I was even beginning to forget what she looked like.  To feel happy again felt like a betrayal.

There's one place I like to go when it comes to finding comfort over the death of a loved one;  the Bible, God's Word.  What I like best about the Bible's interpretation of death is that it's often referred to as sleep.   I don't know about you, but I can handle sleep.  To be asleep means that someday one will wake up.

There are two instances in the gospels when Jesus refers to death as sleep;  when he raises Jairus's daughter (Luke 8:52) and when he raises Lazarus. (Luke 11:11)   In fact, when he is telling the disciples that Lazarus has "fallen asleep," he assures them that he is going to "wake him up."  What a cool way to think about death - a mere nap.  The first time this understanding hit me was when I was teaching VBS to a group of first graders.  We were reading about Stephen's persecution and stoning and at the end of the account, the Bible records that "When [Stephen] had said this, he fell asleep."  (Acts 7:60)

This idea of being asleep seems so much better than the finality of death.  My dad died a few years back, and I miss him very much.  But it's comforting to know that he's not dead - he's asleep.    It puts a smile on my face just to write about it.

Yes, we're all going to die someday, but when you think about death the way the Bible does, it doesn't seem quite so scary.  Kinda has some of the "bite" taken out of it.   As for me, I've always liked taking a good, long nap.  Waking up all refreshed and rested is one of the best parts.  So, in some ways, you could say I'm looking forward to my "last nap. "  Seems like it'll be the best one yet.