[S I M T A N]

It's good to be humble before God.

It is arrogant to tell people or even to think that you are definitely going to Paradise.

I don't mock.

And I don't know if I am going to be saved or not.

I cried when my father passed away.

Rarely do we see Christian believers overcome by grief at the death of their loved one. You'll notice their calm at the funeral instead. That's because they know their beloved deceased has gone to be with the Lord. Are you aware that Christians do not fear having a visit from the Grim Reaper? The Christian facing imminent death understands that Jesus Himself met death on the cross with courage and confidence. Through His death and resurrection, Christ has destroyed death itself.

Thus, Saint Paul could say that "Death has been swallowed up in victory" (1 Cor 15:54). As he faced persecution and the real possibility of death, Paul wrote: "To live is Christ and to die is gain." There's a sense in which Paul was "looking forward to death," not in eager anticipation, but rather in the realistic expectation that death will bring him into the presence of Christ Himself.

For most people, death is something to be resisted since the creation story shows it to be the result of turning from God and toward sin. Naturally, the death of a family member will leave them grief-stricken. Moreover, they don't know what will happen hereafter.

Death itself doesn't pose a threat to true Christians who believe death is a conquered enemy and as such should not be resisted at every turn. Because Christians can face death with a steady eye, we're not like those without hope. We can see beyond the grave, though the grave can have a place in our horizon. The Christain vision sees human life on earth as a pilgrimage.