Although it might be hard for many to believe, just because we’re born into God doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to live out our faith. The reality is that God can change a person’s life, but it’s up to us to be a faithful steward of our own destiny.
Yes, faith is a wonderful thing to have, and yes, you’re a better person if you believe in God. But if you really believe that you’re going to die tomorrow, or that you’re going to die in a car crash tomorrow, or that your little brother will be murdered in a car crash tomorrow, then you’re probably not going to live out your faith.
It’s no secret that I find the idea of faith a bit weird. I mean, I always have, always knew that I was going to die someday. And the thought of not having faith that I’m going to live and thrive and have kids and be healthy and not have to worry about death any longer makes me shake my head.
But that is the problem, I can’t help but think of it as the same thing as the idea of dying in a car accident. There is always the idea of being alive and being able to look back on your life, to look forward to the future, but the idea of being alive and having no more than the next four seconds to live and die is very, very scary.
The idea of death being the ultimate fear is one that seems to come up frequently in faith communities. Some people believe in “going to heaven,” but even if you believe that, all of your memories and thoughts and dreams and emotions are lost forever. The idea of death being the end, the final reminder of everything you’ve ever wanted to do, is terrifying. It’s more than just our fear of our own mortality.
It’s hard to imagine anyone who believes that they’ll be going to heaven without also believing that they’ll be going to hell. But the same is also true for believers in the supernatural. So perhaps the way to deal with that fear is to focus on the fact that things you want to do, like praying, are still possible, even if you must face the fear of dying.
Faith is the best way to deal with the fear of death. For it to be true, for our beliefs to matter in our lives, for us to continue to have hope that we’ll somehow make it to heaven, for the belief to matter at all, would require God to be real, to exist, even if in a way that was beyond our understanding.
The way we face death is by faith. There is no other way. It is the only way to deal with the fear of death. It is the only way to continue to have hope that well somewhere make it to heaven.
Faith is like a bridge over death. The idea is that instead of getting knocked over once by a car at a party, we can be knocked over many times by a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, or other natural disaster that leaves us dead in our tracks. It’s like building a bridge over a river of death, so that we can cross over to safety. It’s like getting drunk and crossing over to the other side of the river.
This seems a bit self-satisfied. Its like that guy who says, “I’ve crossed over to the other side of the river, trust me I’ve done it a million times.” I mean, you should be careful what you believe. When you’re in a situation where you believe in the wrong thing, you’re in trouble.