Why are Christians afraid to die?

Why are Christians afraid to die? This may sound like a crazy question at first. Just stop and think about it. I think it is a very interesting question. It was first asked of me by a non-Christian friend when we were discussing spirituality. The discussion was in a group of 6 or so people and until that question I was actively involved in the dialogue. When my friend asked that question I just stopped and began to think about it. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I had no answer for him. I have no clue why Christians, including myself, are afraid to die. But I do have some thoughts on the question and I would like to share them with you...

I believe any Christian you talk to would say that Heaven is a better place than this earth. If that were so, then why would Christians not want to leave this wretched place for Heaven? I have wondered this over and over, and again I don't have an answer. Maybe dying is just an innate human fear. Maybe death is something we can't help but be afraid of. As I say this, however, I can think of a few people in history who showed no fear in death. Now this doesn't mean they were not afraid, it just means they didn't show their fear. There are countless stories of persecuted Christians all over the world that faced death with bravery and chose death over denying what they knew in their heart was true. Were they some type of super-Christians who really did not fear death? Many think so and I would say that those stories are some of the most amazing things I have ever heard in my life. I can't say what was going on in their mind when they died. They could very well have been scared out of their mind.

Personally I think I'm afraid of death because I feel I was put on this earth for a purpose. I don't think God puts anyone on earth for no reason. It is our job to follow God's will and fulfill our purpose. I think I was created to help the downtrodden and helpless people of the world. I really feel a call to help those who can't help themselves. I am afraid of death because I want my life to mean something. I want to fulfill this call. If I die today or tomorrow, my life will have meant little and that is what I am afraid of. Now this may be a cheap answer for my fear of death, but I can think of no other reason. Maybe I am just an irrational human being and my fear of death is unjustified.

Please, if you have any thoughts or idea's about this let me know. I would love to hear your thoughts. I would love nothing more than for you to leave a comment on this blog. Thanks for reading. Also, please visit the christianity.com forums; I have started a thread on this topic.

Peace and love.