Q:
One of my best friends (only 28) was killed in an accident recently, and I'm having a hard time dealing with it. It's not just that I miss him, but I've never thought much about death before, and it's got me scared. How can I get over my fears?
A:
I’m sorry for your friend’s death; down inside we all know death is real, and yet it’s still a shock when it unexpectedly happens to someone close to us. This is especially true when that person is young, as was your friend’s case. The Bible says, “The life of mortals is like grass … the wind blows over it and it is gone” (Psalm 103:15-16).
How can you deal with your fears? One way would be to deny them or try to put them out of your mind—and in reality, that’s what many do. We may talk ourselves into believing death isn’t real, or that the grave is the end and nothing exists beyond it. Or we may try to forget about it and lose ourselves in entertainment or busyness or drugs. But none of these truly answers our fears and doubts.
Instead, the only real answer to our fears about death is to discover what God has promised us in Jesus Christ. God made us—and He made us not only for this life but eternity with Him in Heaven. Now He offers this to us as a free gift—free, because Jesus Christ paid for it through His death for us.
But like any other gift, it must be received. Don’t live in fear, but turn to Christ and receive Him into your heart. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).