By Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--November 9, 2024
Not everyone has an awareness of the day that they could die. It would certainly be a difficult and anxious day, knowing that you’d never again see the ones you have loved for so long on this side of eternity. Depending on the circumstances, it could be a benefit to know that in a little while the excruciating pain you might be experiencing will finally be coming to an end.
I am not aware what percentage of people know of the day that they are going to die. According to one study, New Years’ Day was named as the #1 mortality day (Holliday, 2021). In this same article, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, August 2 is the day that statistically you would be mostly likely to die if you were to die while driving (Holliday, 2021). On one website (OurWorldinData.org), there are projections on the probability of dying by age (OurWorldinData.org, 2019). King Solomon seems to have had some idea about when we might die, because he mused rather bleakly that, “The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered” (Ecclesiastes 9:5 NLT). Not the most encouraging Bible verse, is it?
So then why am I writing about the day that I might die? Because I wondered whether on that day my behavior would be any different than any other day. If I knew the day I was going to die, I would certainly wake up and embrace my last moments on this ‘terra firma;’ and hug my wife and hold her more tightly and passionately than any other day. But wouldn’t I do this any day – everyday? On the day I was going to die, I would certainly reach out to each of my kids and remind them how much I love them and encourage them to stay true to their faith. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I wonder if it would be a sunny spring day with stunning clouds and perfect weather? Maybe it would be a fall day, with the air crisp and with the leaves changing their color from a green tint to a dazzling multicolor array? No, it will probably be a cloudy day, maybe even rainy. No matter, because the beauty of the day is not in the weather you see, but in the people with whom you spend your time. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I would hope that I might be a little bit more patient with my coworkers and with that guy who cut me off on the highway, knowing that I would travel this road only one more time. I would hope that I would be kinder to my dog as he barks incessantly at every stranger, squirrel, truck and cat passing by our house. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, it probably wouldn’t matter to me who was the president of the United States, or the vice president; or my governor or senator. It probably wouldn’t matter as much to me on that day as it has over the past few weeks. I would hope that on that day my heart would be thankful for the privilege that I have had living in this incredible nation, more unique than any in history before or since, where I could express my thoughts as I choose, live securely, prosper from my own hard work and worship my Savior without fear of reprisal or judgment.
On the day I was going to die, I would hope that the things that seem so important to me right now would not be the focus of my attention on that day. They probably weren’t that important on any day really. Whether my shirt and pants match, or whether things are lined up correctly in the dishwasher – are these things really so important? How many times did I make my wife crazy by moving things around to get them set up perfectly for the wash? Would I worry about whether all my books are lined up correctly on the shelf; or whether my clothes were hung in the places where I insisted that they be hung in the closet – why did I make these things so important? These things won’t be so important on that day. Why would that day be any different than today?
On the day I was going to die, I wonder if I would experience entering a dark tunnel, moving closer and closer to a shining bright light? Many people who have experienced near-death trauma report this type of encounter, along with an incredible joy; or the awareness of entering the presence of some higher power, fully conscious being (JP Staff, 2023). Recent scientific research has claimed that these things are really not a spiritual encounter, but more along the lines of post-death brain activity (Xu, et al., 2023). These researchers are saying that dying patients activate parts of the brain that handle internal visual activity like dreaming (Xu, et al., 2023). This is how science explains why dying patients see a bright light or familiar faces like the faces of loved ones in the moments before they pass from life here to life eternal.
I don’t really know if that is just science trying to explain away the supernatural or not. In the few instances recorded in the Bible where a human being encounters the Holy God, great fear overtakes them (Isaiah 6:5; Matthew 17:6). I do know that on the day that I die it won’t be a dream, it will be a real experience seeing those that I love who have professed faith in Jesus Christ awaiting my arrival (Matthew 8:11; Hebrews 2:9-13). I also know that on the day that I die and am absent from my body, that I will be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). On the day that I die I expect to see Jesus Christ on His throne, saying the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:21,23 ESV).
So at the end of all this, is there a reason behind me writing about the day I was going to die? Do I know something about my last days that I’m not sharing with anyone else? Not really.
But we all know the saying, that “if you aim at nothing you are sure to hit it.” And I want to aim to live each day as if it were actually the last day of my life. I want to do that because I want to cherish each day that God has given me and embrace both the joys and the challenges that He presents to each of us.
I plan to exhaust myself being thankful for each problem needing to be solved and each obstacle needing to be overcome. Knowing that this could be my last day makes each moment and each encounter and each breath more precious than the next. As Mother Teresa said, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin” (GoodReads, n.d.). So let us begin today!
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Joseph J. Bucci has served as a Pastor, Author, HR Director, Director of Training, Professor and Consultant. He teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences at Regent University in Virginia Beach. He has written two books and numerous articles on the theme of integrating faith with life and our work. You can contact Dr. Bucci at: Joseph J Bucci