The human race is a diverse species. We come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but there is one thing we all have in common: All who live will eventually die.

It is not a pleasant thought to dwell on. We seek to distract ourselves from death by surrounding ourselves with entertainment and busyness. If we can keep from thinking about it, then it is not real.

It was Woody Allen who said: I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens.

It is a funny saying, and yet it may reflect an uncomfortable truth within many of us.

I need to be clear about what I am trying to communicate. The purpose of my words is not to scare people into a life of faith motivated by a fear of death. As a university student, some well-meaning Christians tried to get me to convert with threats of hell. It only delayed my spiritual journey.

My only goal is to remind us of the lie of a this-world immortality. Even with all our advances in medicine and improvements in the standard of living, we will all die at some point.

I once led a funeral for a man who died at 100 years of age. He lived a long and healthy life. He and his wife lived in their own home right until a few months before his death. He was sharp in mind and strong in body.

He seemed to have had the ideal life, and yet there were those who were shocked at his death. It was more than missing a man who was beloved; his death had seemed unexpected.

We will all experience last things. There will be our last time kissing our spouse. There will be our last time hugging our children. There will be our last time driving a car. There will be a last time going for a walk.

There are three ways for us to respond to death. One is to ignore it and hope it never happens. One is to live in fear of death so that we never truly live. But there is also the option to live a life of hope.

Hope is the ability to move beyond the negative feelings or experiences of the moment. In the context of death, hope can include a belief that we have done some good in the world or that our friends and family will be OK even after we are gone.

As a Christian, I also have hope that death is not the end of existence. I cannot say that I fully understand what that will look like. Will we recognize our loved ones? Will we even recognize ourselves?

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This is not about being so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good. A worldview that includes hope in the face of death should be a benefit to this world. This type of hope should help us to get out of bed and help others even when we are overwhelmed by life circumstances.

You are dying. Most people reading this will be dead within 80 years. Neither ignoring nor despairing are helpful options. But faith is. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

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Faith Matters: Hope in the face of death benefits the world - StCatharinesStandard.ca