Behind the pastor’s desk: Believing in our “what’s next?”
Released on Friday, April 5, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.
“Behind the Pastor’s Desk” by Lauren Olson
Last Sunday was Easter, and this story often makes us think about life, death, and what lies beyond death. Some of us strongly believe in life after death, while others do not. Also, some people may not know what they believe. In my professional role, I often ask people to share with me the “next thing” they envision. Many people share images of reunions with family and close friends.
Lauren Olson, Mayo Clinic Hospice Chaplain
In his play No Exit, existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre said that he thought hell was someone else. If we flip that around, we can say that many of us believe that heaven is other people, people we love. Our family is approaching the third anniversary of my son-in-law’s death, and my grandson shares the feeling that his father is watching over him from another world, and that thought gives him comfort and encouragement. I was talking about it. I would like to think that my family is watching over us from another place.
I knew a woman who felt she was spiritual but not religious, and she said that after she died she would fly through space like a butterfly. I think she liked the idea that “What’s Next” frees us from many of the constraints we feel in this world? I talked to another spiritual person who had lived such a good life that he believed he would be reborn as a heavenly spiritual being. Not much different from what the Christian apostle Paul wrote about being resurrected into an eternal spiritual body. I’m not very creative when thinking about what will happen next. When you’re spending time by the lake or vacationing at the beach, there are moments when you think, “This is as close to heaven as you can get.” So I guess I’m projecting that onto my idea of life after death—heaven is a party at a lake or a beach. But I think it could be even better than that.
We think of spring as a season full of hope as the nature around us regenerates. Easter is not just a day for Christians; it is also a season of hope. For some, dying includes hope that death is not the end, but the beginning of the next great adventure. Death is a part of life, but at this time of year, as we remember the story of Easter and feel the signs of spring, we cannot understand death as part of the resurrection and how God makes all things new. I wish you all the best.
Lauren Olson is a chaplain at Mayo Clinic Hospice in Albert Lea.
