Death is a topic that not many of us bring up on an everyday basis. Rather than talking about death, we would prefer to talk about things that are happy. It is not surprising that so many people avoid the topic of death because it is a difficult subject.
It is a difficult subject because it is not natural. Nothing about death is natural because God never intended for us to die. This is why most of us do not like the idea of death, which causes us to not talk about it.
However, there are times that come in our lives when we start thinking about death. Once we start thinking about death, it is only a matter of time before we start talking about it. Sadly, not many people want to talk about death because it is uncomfortable.
I remember after my mom passed away, my sister wanted to talk to her friend about my mom’s passing, but her friend said that was a topic that was too uncomfortable for her and wanted to talk about something else.
Even though this topic was something my sister needed to talk about, she could not because her friend refused to talk about death. While we probably can relate to both sides of the conversation, we have to be aware that there is nothing wrong with talking about death.
Even though death is a taboo or depressing subject, it is something worth talking about. All of us will pass away one day; however, the most painful part of death is when we see our loved ones pass away before we do.
Talking about Death Is Essential
To be honest, I never really thought about death until my mom passed away. I think it is common not to think about death until you are faced with it. Since my family never really talked about death, I was not prepared for my mom’s death, especially since she was far too young to die.
It was a difficult thing to go through, to say the least, but it would have been a little bit easier if we had talked about death beforehand. While nothing can really fully prepare us for death, asking about it can help.
As someone who has now faced death and is still going through grief, I can attest to the truth that there needs to be more talk about death. Death doesn’t need to be something that we fear.
If a person knows Jesus and has accepted Him as their Savior and Lord, they will go to be with Him in heaven.
The only reason to fear death is if you have not placed faith in Jesus. If a person fails to place faith in Jesus during their life, they will go to hell and suffer eternal separation from the Lord.
As we can see, this is something that is extremely frightening. By talking about death, we can talk more about the afterlife.
Through talking to others about death, we can open up a conversation about salvation. All of us will die one day and it is important for everyone to come to know the Lord.
The mentality to accept Jesus right before death or when you get older is not tangible because you don’t even know on what day you will pass away. It is best to come to know Jesus as soon as possible and start living for Him.
While people can accept Jesus on their deathbed, there won’t be much time for a person to truly live for Him. Part of the Christian walk is growing closer to God and helping others to come to know Him.
This is a huge part of God’s design for missionary work, evangelism, and discipleship. Jesus commands us to take the message of the gospel to all people, even those who are unreached (Matthew 28:18-30).
How can a person do this if they choose to wait to place faith in Christ until later in life or right before they pass away?
Normalizing Talking about Death
In order to help others feel more comfortable talking about death, we need to normalize talking about it. Unless we talk about death and make the conversation nonjudgmental, we will never make any progress in normalizing the conversation around death.
Through talking about death in a nonjudgmental and non-scary way, it will open the conversation for questions and comments. This is important in order to help more people start thinking about death and normalizing talking about it before they have to face it.
Facing our own death is one thing; however, facing the death of a loved one is completely different. To see a loved one pass away and to go to their funeral is heartbreaking. This is another part of death that we need to talk about — the grieving process.
Although many people have advocated for the “stages” of grieving, there is actually not a timeline of grief. As someone who has been experiencing grief for nearly a decade, I can see from personal experience that grief might continue throughout your life.
While this can be daunting to many people, it is important to be aware of this truth. Grief is very hard to go through and sometimes it comes in unbearable waves. When you go through grief, know it is normal and also know it is okay to talk to others about your grief.
Never feel ashamed for sharing your grief and pain. Friends and family are supposed to be there for us when we are struggling. Through talking with friends and family, they can help us as we are going through grief.
Grief is not something that simply goes away, and it is crucial for people to discuss this when they are on the topic of death. Sometimes grief is not as strong; however, baseline, it is always there. Grief hurts so much because you loved the person who passed so much.
It is hard to deal with their absence, knowing you will not ever see them again in this life. If your loved one accepted Jesus, they are now in heaven with the Lord, which provides comfort, yet it is still okay to grieve.
Many people within the church will try to shrug off your pain by saying, “Your loved one is in Heaven, you should be happy!” A type of statement such as this is ignorant and invalidating of your pain. Ignore comments like this and know that your grief is valid no matter what.
Just because you know your loved one is with Jesus doesn’t mean their absence in your life is any less painful. If anything, it will continue to be painful until you are also with them in Heaven.
For matters concerning dealing with the death of a loved one who never placed faith in Christ, I do not have much to say.
I did not have to face this question until a few months ago when a friend’s father passed away. His father never placed faith in Jesus, which caused more pain for my friend because he knew that his father was not with Christ and never would be.
This is something that was hard for me to discuss because I had never been in this situation before. When talking with others who had lost loved ones, their loved ones had always been believers; however, for my friend’s father, he was not a believer.
My friend still has a hard time coping with this, but I'm trying to learn more about how to provide support for those whose loved ones die without knowing Jesus. It is hard to do this when you know they are not with Christ.
Why Should We Talk about Death?
This is one of the many reasons why we need to start talking about death and normalizing it. Through doing this, we will be able to have more opportunities to share Jesus and what the Bible says about the afterlife.
Even though this might not cause a huge influx of people coming to know the Lord, it might make a big difference in the lives of many.
For further reading:
How Should Christians Cope with Death?
Can Christians Be Scared to Die?
What Happens after We Die According to the Bible?
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