Journal Exercise “B”
My First Realization of Personal Mortality
Name: _____________TJ Becki_________________________ Date: ____2/2/2020_______
Directions: Please answer the questions below and be prepared to discuss them with a partner, small
group, or with the class.
1. When did you first realize your own mortality? (i.e. that you would one day die.) Describe the
situation in detail that helped you realize this (who, what, when, where, how.)
I grew up doing a lot of hunting, so the reality of death was always there because I was the one
causing it. I also grew up in a Christian home, so the reality of death was never something to be shied
away from. All that being said, I didn’t really come to the realization of my own mortality until I was 17.
It was around this time that I was graduating high school, moving on from an unhealthy relationship, and
finally having to look my own actions, along with their corresponding consequences, in the face. It was in
doing this that I became incredibly aware of my own mortality, along with the reality that I would have to
answer to God for everything that I’ve done, when everything was said and done.
2. What were your thoughts and feelings as best as you can recall them? Did the realization of your own
mortality have any lasting impact on you? If yes, describe. If no, why not?
When you finally come to the realization that you’re not a good person, and that actions have
consequences before God, it’s incredibly frightening. It all kind of came together in that moment, and I
felt both dirty and afraid. Frightening as it was, and as it should have been, this was the first moment in
my life that I called on God for forgiveness. God gave His Son for this specific purpose, and in believing,
His righteousness was applied to me forever. This was the moment that my faith became my own and I
changed my whole life, along with my eternity.
3. Who did you share these thoughts and feelings with? What reply or response did you receive from
this person/persons? Was their response helpful? Why or why not?
The first people I shared this with were my parents and having come to the same conclusion
themselves, they were overjoyed. I was always the black sheep of the family and the crazy child, so
hearing this was a big deal for my parents. In regards to death and dying, my dad is a roofer, so he has
suffered many falls. He’s been in two separate comas and broke his back, so he’s quite well acquainted
with death. Knowing that he’ll see his son in eternity is surely something that he no longer has to worry
about me for.
4. Go to this website [Link] Type in the pertinent
information on your age, height, weight, and health status. After your death projected date of death
and your death clock pops up on screen, stare at the digital clock for three full minutes! What
feelings or thoughts did you experience as you watched three minutes of your life slip away?
Given that my projected death date wasn’t until 2082, it was really crazy to see displayed in days:
22,730! True or not, that is still a lot of time, and there is so much that I can get done in that timeframe.
Since the day of my death is most likely before that, and could come at any moment, it makes me want to
stop wasting so much time. There’s so much to do, there’s so many people to come in contact with, and
there is so much that can be done for God while I’m here. I don’t want to waste the life that He has given
me.
