Question 37 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?” The answer is, “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.” In keeping with this answer, I’ve spent time recently thinking about preparing for death, both physically (the body) and spiritually (the soul).

For those of you who are planners, preparing for your future comes naturally. You have planned your education, a home purchase, vacations, events, and your eventual retirement. It is interesting, however, that planning for one’s death is often overlooked. Why is this so? Preparing for our eventual death has benefits that we would do well to consider.

Question 37 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, “What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?” The answer is, “The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness, and do immediately pass into glory; and their bodies, being still united to Christ, do rest in their graves till the resurrection.”

In keeping with this answer, I’ve spent time recently thinking about preparing for death, both physically (the body) and spiritually (the soul).

Having Your Physical House in Order

When will you be laid to rest in the grave? Certainly, our days were numbered before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:16), but we don’t know the day of our departure. Life is fleeting (Ps. 39:4), and death comes to all people (Rom. 5:12), so we are wise if we remember that our death will impact others.

I had a dream recently in which my husband and I had to plan a party with about two hours of notice. I woke up remarkably calm, which surely gave evidence that it was a dream! Few of us can imagine not preparing for a party, yet many fail to plan for the most certain event in their lives.

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