How do you feel about talking with your loved ones about the reality of your death?
Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, ‘God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ Genesis 50:25
Heavenly Father,
We confess, we resist talking to our loved ones about our death;
it feels scary and uncomfortable.
And yet, as we see that Jesus lovingly prepared his disciples
for his death in the Upper Room discourse (See John 13-17),
offering them comfort and hope,
we are encouraged to lean into these hard conversations.
As we see that Joseph prepared his loved ones practically
by offering specific instructions for his body after his death,
we take courage to consider what instructions
we can share with our loved ones.
Even if they resist the conversation,
help us to keep patiently inviting them to engage,
talking with them about our wills and our wishes
regarding medical care at the end of life,
funeral and other end of life plans,
and locations of essential documents and passwords.
As we do so, may we winsomely share our hope of heaven with them, that they may be better prepared to grieve with hope when we’re gone.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read Genesis 50:22-26; John 13-17.
