Last month I had conversations with two pastors who were dying. In both cases we knew it would be the last time we talked, so we took our time and chose our words carefully.
It’s an honor to be in a conversation with anyone who knows death is coming soon, but it’s overwhelming to listen to a dying pastor. After spending most of their lives climbing into pulpits and standing up at countless church dinners when called upon to “offer a few words,” dying pastors are ready when the end of life calls for their last words.
As I listened to these two pastors, the most striking thing to me wasn’t their fearlessness at dying. Nor was I in awe primarily of their amazingly sturdy faith, which was why they had so little fear. The thing I keep thinking about is what both of them kept talking about at the end of their lives: gratitude.
