Death often fills us with fear, sorrow, and uncertainty because we naturally focus on what we are leaving behind rather than what may lie ahead. Several years ago, I read an illustration that compared death to the miracle of birth. Its message stayed with me, and years later I heard it read at a funeral, where its meaning became even more powerful. This simple yet profound analogy offers a comforting perspective—that what we experience as an ending may actually be the beginning of something far more beautiful.

Death and Birth

An irony about death is that it is the one event that causes the greatest emotional pain but in reality opens a doorway into the great joy of eternity. Speaking of his own death, Jesus used the analogy of a woman in the labor of childbirth: she travails until the moment of delivery, when suddenly ecstasy replaces anguish (John 16:21).

Death like birth—the analogy goes deep. Imagine birth from the perspective of the fetus.

Your world is dark, safe, and secure. You are bathed in a warm, cushioning liquid. You do nothing for yourself. You are fed automatically, and a murmuring heartbeat assures you that someone larger than you is meeting all your needs.

Life consists of simple waiting— you’re not sure what to wait for, but any change seems far away and scary. You encounter no sharp objects, no pain, no dangers. A fine, serene existence.

One day, you feel a tug. The walls seem to press in. Those soft padded walls are now pulsing wildly, crushing you downward. Your body is bent double, your limbs twisted and wrenched. You’re falling upside down. For the first time in your life, you feel pain. You’re in a sea of roiling matter. There is more pressure, almost too intense to bear. Your head is squeezed flat, and you are pushed harder, harder into a dark tunnel. Oh, the pain. Noise. More pressure.

You hurt all over. You hear a groaning sound, and an awful, sudden fear rushes in on you. It is happening— your world is collapsing. You’re sure it’s the end. You see a piercing, blinding light. Cold, rough hands grasp at you, pull you from the tunnel, and hold you upside down. A painful slap. Waaaahhhh!

Congratulations, you have just been born.

Death is like that. On this end of the birth canal, it seems a scary, dark tunnel we are being sucked toward by an irresistible force.

None of us looks forward to it. We’re afraid. It’s full of pressure, pain, darkness… the unknown.

But beyond the darkness and the pain lies a whole new world outside. When we awaken after death in that bright new world, our tears and hurts will be mere memories.

The more I reflect on this illustration, the more I believe it captures the Christian hope of eternity. Just as a child cannot imagine the joy that awaits beyond the womb, we cannot fully comprehend the glory that awaits beyond this life. In heaven there will be no sin, no pain, no sorrow, and no death. Rather than living in fear of death, we can live with hope, trusting that what awaits us is infinitely greater than anything we have known on earth.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.