When you consider a question like how can we encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth? The first thing you must acknowledge is the density of this question, which should cause you to pause for a moment. In thinking about the answer, you may realize this question has a bittersweet tone to it, which is the reality of death, especially the death of a believer. Despite our best efforts to eat right, exercise, and be healthy (at least for some of us), there is one thing that we know for sure. We are all going to face the end of life on this earth one day. Our mortality is certain.
When thinking about death, it usually comes in one of two ways. Sometimes people die suddenly with no time to prepare for it. There are other times when a person knows their time on earth is ending. Even as you read these words, someone, possibly someone you know, is facing this reality. It is in this situation I want to speak because we need to know how we can encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth.
Here are four ways we can encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth:
1. Remember the moments.
Life is a series of moments. While our brains may record everything that happens in our life, we can’t always recall it. There are plenty of moments in life we want to forget, but I suspect there are far more that are worth remembering. When a believer is facing an end-of-life situation, this is the time to remember those moments.
You can sit and talk with them about all the things that brought joy along the way. You can look back on God’s goodness and faithfulness through the years. Reminisce over the people who have made a difference in their life. All the times spent with family and the moments made with spouses or children if they have them. If there are younger ones around, this is the perfect opportunity to share stories of family and traditions that they will carry with them. By remembering, you are not just reliving the past but hopefully keeping those things alive in the hearts of those you will leave behind.
2. Create new moments.
We can encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth not just by remembering old moments but by creating new ones. We should celebrate life while they are still living. Two of my closest friends in this life are Manny and Walter. Whenever we got together, we watched football, ate food, played games, and talked a lot of junk. There was always laughter in the room whenever the three of us were together. Walter had been dealing with serious health challenges, and in 2021, those challenges escalated. Because we don’t live close to each other and because of Walter’s illness, we had not been together in the same room for a long time. In October 2021, me and Manny visited Walter to get the band back together. We did everything we would normally do. Watched football, ate food, and laughed a lot. We did not know it then, but that would be the last time we would see Walter on this side of heaven.
A few days later, Walter went into the hospital, and when I spoke to his wife, she remarked how happy Walter was that we could spend that day with him. Whenever I talk to Manny, we are always so thankful we made the opportunity to do that.
This is a fantastic way we can encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth. Celebrate their life while they are still living. You may not do everything you did before, but you can get together and create new moments. If possible, build those moments around the things you always enjoyed doing together. Most importantly, it is about spending time with people you love and care about. From my experience, it will not only encourage the person facing the end of their life, but it will also create moments you will treasure for as long as you live. I am so grateful we took the time to make that new moment, and I am certain you will be too.
3. Take care of estate planning issues.
I need to shift from being inspirational and encouraging to being practical for a moment. I know we don’t often think about this, but this is one of the most important ways we can encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth. You must address estate planning issues. Most people know how they want their assets distributed after they die. They know who they want to get what they have. When you have settled this issue, it gives the person passing away peace of mind. It also solves some problems that can arise if there is no proper estate planning done. I know our brains don’t always take us to these places, but getting this taken care of will be better for everyone, especially for those who we leave behind.
4. Remind them of our hope.
Perhaps the most important way to encourage believers facing the end of their lives on earth is to remind them of their hope. I remember a lyric from a song that said death is not a period but a comma. The beauty of our salvation is death is not the end; it is just the beginning. As believers, we have hope that goes beyond the grave. Paul reminds us in Scripture to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Because of this hope, the end of life here on earth is the beginning of life in God’s presence. If there is one moment when we need to grasp the reality of this truth, this is it.
The comfort of knowing Jesus is the assurance that because he lives, so will we. For believers facing the end of their lives on earth, they are one step closer to being united with their Savior forever. This is our greatest hope and our greatest joy. While it may be sad for us to see those we love and care about go, there is a tremendous exhilaration we have in knowing where they are going.
Take this truth with you.
There is one last truth I want you to think about. We are all facing the end of our lives on this earth. We just don’t know when it will happen. For this reason, don’t wait until you can see the finish line of this life to do the things I recommended. Start now. Since we do not know what tomorrow holds, let’s remember the moments of yesterday and begin making new ones today. Take care of estate planning issues or any other issues, just in case your end of life comes suddenly. Finally, live in the hope we have in Christ. Celebrate life while you are living, and when you come to the end of this life on earth, may your words be like those of the Apostle Paul.
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." – 2 Timothy 4:6-8
I pray you would be encouraged by this, and you would encourage someone else whose life may be near the end.
