Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
Why would Edwards write this? Why in the world would, or should, you think about your own death? I compiled a few reasons for reflection:
The Bible talks about death a lot. Even though the Bible tells a story of life, death is a parallel theme. Where there is blessing for obedience, there is curse for disobedience. From the third chapter of Genesis, we're launched into a world that is corrupted and dying. The Bible doesn't shy away from death because it's an unpleasant topic. Death is an effect of the Fall, but God, in His sovereign wisdom, uses it to His glory. The Bible tells that story.
Death is inevitable. Ignoring death does not mean it won't come. You will die one day. So will I - unless Christ returns before then. Knowing the inevitability of death allows us to prepare better for it.
It forces us to redeem our time. Thinking upon the coming of death reminds us of the very fleetingness of our lives. Time is always ticking, and our period on earth is comparatively short. Considering death gives us the urgency to not waste time. That reminds me of another Edwards resolution:
Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
It gives us urgency in evangelism. We are going to die. One day, so is your neighbour, your co-worker, your classmate, the sea of the lost around you. Death reminds us that time is short. That means that if we're waiting for the perfect, natural, comfortable window of evangelism, it probably won't come. We need to have the urgency that propels us to bring hope to this dying world - even if it means going out of our comfort zone.
It makes us think about life. It sounds a little silly maybe, but it's true. The Christian cannot think about death without thinking about life. Death does not narrate our stories, but it still plays a part in them. I think again about that beautiful quote by Randy Alcorn quote, where he says that death is not a hole or a wall but a doorway. For the Christian, death is the doorway to eternal life.
And that reminds me of this gentle and poignant quote by Calvin Miller:
I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.
Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.
And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.
Image Credit: http://www.creationswap.com/artwork/1/1/18/1118/1118_1118_5.jpg