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Be Not Afraid In God's HandsThere is something deadening about going throughlife cautiously – testing the water, toeing the line. Butthere is nothing as exhilarating as living it to the full.It requires rising to challenges that come your way,rather than evading them; sticking out your neck,instead of hiding in the crowd. It means daring to takefalse steps – and leaps of faith. And the reward, as wehave seen, is calmness in the face of death.To believe that one is in God’s hands, and to drawcomfort from that belief, is a gift – and not only forthe dying, but for those who mourn them after theyare gone. But what about those whom death overtakeswithout such reassurance? And what about thosethey leave behind, whose grief is compounded by theworry that the one who died was not ready to go?Especially in cases of divorce or separation, parentchildestrangement, and soured friendships, it is notunusual to encounter fear on the part of those who liveon. Where did my ex-husband (or mother, father, son,or daughter) go? Is he with God?Often, this fear is not limited to worries about wherethe dead have gone. Believers may wonder how theywill fare in the last judgment; nonbelievers may fearthe unknown. As a counselor and pastor, I know thatfar more people grapple with these questions than one10