Near Death: Nearer to God? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley
This weekend I visited with a friend who shared about her near death experience. Like many who have close calls she realized she was allowed to live for a reason and believes she was spared so she can speak about her life in order to help others be victorious.
I understand the mindset. I would say over the course of my life I have had three near-death experiences. In my twenties, I crash landed in a news helicopter and I had a serious health bout with Toxic Shock Syndrome. I am not sure I understood the gravity of both scenarios until my third near death experience, when I was hit hard in the head with a golf ball a few years ago, two inches from my temple. The cracking sound of the ball making contact with my skull could be heard hundreds of yards away. I was more spiritually mature the third time and found myself reflecting back on the other two experiences, realizing how precious life is and that God allowed me to live these three times to fulfill his purpose for my life.
Psalm 90:12 tells us to Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. What does that really mean? The Hebrew word for heart here, lebab, also means “conscience,” “mind” or “understanding.” The word for wisdom, “hokmah” also translates as “skill” or “learning.” So if I had to piece this puzzle together, I’d say these near death experiences help us understand that our lives on this earth can be snatched at any moment and we must be wise about the way we use our time. Are we living out our days glorifying God, whether it’s with our words, our actions or our service? Do we ask God how he wants us to best utilize our time each day? I find that when I do that, his agenda is often nothing like what I had planned out. If your life ended today and you had to face the almighty, would you be ashamed to tell him how you spend your time? Do you give others grace and mercy each day like your father in heaven gave you by sparing your life?
As difficult as they are, near death experiences are a good reminder about the brevity of life. Near death should bring you nearer to God. Every minute counts for the kingdom. The clock is ticking. What’s on your calendar today?