Last night, while I was looking for something inside my cabinet I saw a yellow organizer I had when I was in college, under piles of my clothes. Hmm, I wonder how it gets there, but anyway, when I opened it, some pieces of paper fell on my feet. When I got it, the title read: ARE YOU READY TO DIE TODAY?
I smiled and suddenly thought of a very good friend ? BRYAN EDNER. I remember, we were in the college-student-council office then when I confided to him what bothered me for the past few days. Those were the times I couldn?t get much sleep because of thinking my greatest fear. I know he?s the only one who could understand me so I blurted out to him what I?m most afraid of during those times. Then he gave me this letter, he made especially for my stupid thoughts. Here it goes:
Many people look for answers to their question of how death really is.? For me, death is not the end of everything. It is the mere beginning of life and not the end. It is just the continuation of life wherein you leave your body to move your soul to a much more splendid and perfect life. Many people are scared to lose their one and only entrusted life. This leads them to many frustrations and conclusions that actually take away their faith and inculcate a very frightening view of what would happen to them. The conclusion is this: if you are scared and not ready to lose your life and what you have, how would you ever possibly be ready to accept death? If death is just as natural as living and we are scared of it happening to us, then we are just equilibrated to being scared of living. There is only one thing to do to get ready for death. Give your full faith to the One that has given us life, and leave your soul in only his hands to take it back whenever he would want to. We must not live to prepare to face the future life we will have but instead, we must live to prepare for what would follow life, and this is ? death.
If given a question on readiness of dying, what would possibly the answer of the people? I may never know? but if I were given the same question, I would perfectly say that I am. It?s not that I could resist on losing my family and friends or maybe even possessions if I have any. On the other hand, I do not even want to have friends or a family that I know I would someday leave behind. But that isn?t the point. I already have them and I don?t want to let go of them. I am, on the other hand, willing to entrust onto God whatever I have right now and proceed to death if this is where I will be going anytime. What should I be scared of losing? A life, well, I would still have one after I die and it would even be eternal. It might seem very terrifying if we picture ourselves forever living out of our bodies and just floating souls in the atmosphere. But let?s not go there because it is definitely too much for us to handle. Even I do not want to look at that possibility; it just scares me out of my consciousness.
At this point in my life, I fear nothing more than living life. Because in life, you feel the pain and hurt, in life you experience the problems in your face, there is nothing more terrible than this. Even death is not included as a fear factor for me. I would be much more happy if it were to happen now. Why? Simple! Just look at the thirty things that made me ready for it!?
- Would you want to be more of a pain in the neck of people you love?
- Have you fallen a thousand times in life that you are finally numb?
- Have you lost in a battle that you knew would go your way?
- Have you made decisions which you thought would turn out right but didn?t?
- Have you encountered a problem that you knew you could understand but in the end you didn?t?
- Have you ever stepped out of the line of mortality and doing something so gruesome that would destroy your reputation?
- Have you ever hurt the people you love?
- Have you taken away other people?s trust from you?
- Have you ever fell neglected, unaccepted or unappreciated?
- Would you want to do something that you know would hurt and destroy people?
- Did you ever do your best in helping others just to win acceptance?
- Have you ever questioned your faith in God despite the sins you have done?
- Did you ever try to ask for forgiveness and pray to God that the people you have committed mistakes and trespasses would forgive you?
- Did you ever admit to God that you are born a sinner?
- Have you accepted in your heart that you are nothing but yourself and of no sense and means to others?
- Have you ever kept what you really felt inside stuck in your head and heart?
- Did you ever experience walking in the street and hearing people talk about you just by the way you look?
- Have you ever noticed that you were being looked at by a lot of people just by the way you act?
- Have you ever given up all you have left just to gain somebody you thought would love you but couldn?t find a way to do so?
- Have you ever accepted the pain that you must live through just to find the real one for you?
- Did you ever experience doing things that you knew was wrong but still did it without our heart?s full decision?
- Have you experienced leaving a person and turning down that person who really loves you?
- Have you made a decision that would hurt you but you know was for the own good of the other?
- Have you ever dreamed of living a beautiful life but seeing no possibility of this happening?
- Did you ever think that in life you don?t deserve what is happening to you?
- Have you ever told anyone that you would do everything just to show that person how you feel?
- Have you ever realized that God loves you?
- Have you ever questioned God?s love for you?
- Have you been so much understanding that you leave behind the principles of life and just continue understanding even if it took away your pride, dignity and courage?
- And finally, have you ever realized that you have a saviour of your soul and gave your whole trust to Him that if you die, He will take you in His arms?
Well, if the qualities of the examples you saw could fit exactly for you, then why could you not say that you still are not ready to die?In living, a person will only be given time to figure out the answers at the end of each tragedy that may occur to him. If he fails in the tests that he has been given, he would lose faith in God sometime along the way. But that doesn?t mean that he must feel weak, instead he must feel more connected with God because the Lord is his only companion when the person is alone and no one to listen to him and help him through his problems. He is there whenever you want him to be there, whenever you think he is there, he is. He is the only one we believe exists even if we have no concrete proof that he does. Although, he lives in us through our prayers and through the miracles that he has given to us through the years.Man on the other hand, has many ways to destroy his relationship with God through his decisions. I myself admit that I have done a lot to weaken the thick layer of my relationship with God. But still, I realize that at the end of the day, I need to regain back that rusted metal I myself have rusted. This is by means of recall, relate and reflect.
We must not watch opportunities pass by, we must grab them the least we could. We must always give chances to others and see what they could do to help us in our life. We must always put in mind the idea of ?maybe this person has been given to me by God as a blessing, that?s because no matter what I do this person still remains with me and has deep faith that he could help me through the day?. ?Maybe God has given this person to me?. Then ask yourself, ?Why?? Would there be any harm in trying just one more test? Maybe this would be the answer we were looking for a long time ago. There is nothing more accepted than trust of a person, it is hard to give trust to a person but it is never hard to give chances. You don?t lose yourself if you give chances. You learn more. All these dilemmas of accepting death are nothing compared to accepting life. We may never know why these things are happening to us, but we must know one thing. Everything is happening for a reason. And the only one who knows that reason and gave that reason to us is God himself. So we must all live and let God!I believe everyone has experienced this kind of dilemma so I thought of sharing with you this ?letter-opener?. Personally, it helped me a lot in conquering my fear. If you would just ponder on the 30 things Bryan listed on why we should not fear death, you would realize hell yeah, he?s damn right, why should I fear death? You can also read the book The Purpose Driven Life, it?s like a food for your spirit. Thanks Bry for the letter, see, I?m still keeping it.?:) Thank you for enlightening me til now especially when my faith falters. :)
May i know your religious group? I like what you have written, it seems that very few people write what you have written especially in blogs, im not surprised also if no one or a few will leave their comments :-). Are you a Christian? I’m just curious, i hope we can become friends even if you are in other country. By the here’s a site you can use to tell people about Jesus :-)
http://www.clickaudit.com/goto/?10498
hope to hear from you,
Tim
Hi Tim! Sorry it took a while before I replied to your comment. Anyway, I’m a Roman Catholic and I want to emphasize that it is my friend (Bryan Edner) who made that article. It is actually his letter to me. You can email me at bartmarquez@yahoo.com. And your welcome to be my friend =)
God bless!
[...] upcoming Harry Potter series: “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”, was stabbed to death at a Metro bar in Sidcup, England on May 23, 2008. He tried to protect his younger brother, Jamie, [...]
Hello!
Thank you for posting the video I wrote and directed on your page. (I also played the hitchhiker) If you could, please include this website where the clip was found. Thank you =)
http://www.sermonspice.com/videos/430/drifting
Brett Bower
Writer/Director
DRIFTING
imagine after a lot of years that have passed, memories of old writings, quotes, and comments still exist.
We never really thought that the day would come where we’d be able to see such things. We never really expected, but that’s the surprise that awaits us.
Nice seeing your comments again in my site, Spook. It’s been a long time. How are you? Yeah, “memories of old writings”… I miss those times. Thanks for this letter. :)
Ohhhh, I’m nor ready to die yet. I have so many plans in life and haven’t accomplished a lot yet.