Unsure in need of reassuring

[Jellybe]

****NEW~~I recently flatlined for 12 seconds during surgery. Before surgery I was a devoted Lutheran and believer in faith, but now I find myself questioning if God is real. When I awoke from surgery I was informed I had an allergic reaction to an anesthesia. The nurse informed me that my heart had stopped for 12 seconds. I laughed at first and she said NO really your heart stopped. I then noticed that I had lost my bladder function during the short procedure. Here is my dilemma, I didn't see anything no bright light, beautiful colors or my recently deceased father. I'm questioning my faith and whether there is anything after we pass. I never had any doubt before this happened to me. I keep telling myself I wasn't gone long enough, however in the back of my mind I keep doubting. Does anyone have any advice? It didn't hurt I remember nothing. I just want to be the way I was before this happened a complete believer.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Jellybe

[J2911]

****NEW~~I recently flatlined for 12 seconds during surgery. Before surgery I was a devoted Lutheran and believer in faith, but now I find myself questioning if God is real. When I awoke from surgery I was informed I had an allergic reaction to an anesthesia. The nurse informed me that my heart had stopped for 12 seconds. I laughed at first and she said NO really your heart stopped. I then noticed that I had lost my bladder function during the short procedure. Here is my dilemma, I didn't see anything no bright light, beautiful colors or my recently deceased father. I'm questioning my faith and whether there is anything after we pass. I never had any doubt before this happened to me. I keep telling myself I wasn't gone long enough, however in the back of my mind I keep doubting. Does anyone have any advice? It didn't hurt I remember nothing. I just want to be the way I was before this happened a complete believer.

 

 

Hello , thank you for sharing this !

As a registered nurse who works in trauma , I am no stranger to the dying process and reviving the dying .

Let me say to you that 12 seconds is not enough time for brain death in your case because this was during your surgery and you were on a ventilator for oxygen support so your brain was given supple oxygen flow. Rest assure that please .

The debate of life after death will always be controversial.

There are hundreds of physicians specializing in every field who are agnostic just the same as the thousands or better who believe in an after life .

The patients I have encountered vary with stories of what they saw however they all had one thing in common which is they arrested with no ventilation supportive enough to sustain brain flow and they were down for longer than 2 minutes .

I have had patients come back and say they saw nothing and had no recollection and I've had patients who said they watched themselves being resuscitated back to life even repeating statements of what they heard doctors and nurses saying which were accurate because I was present during their code process and ive heard patients say they saw beautiful lights .

 

Do not lose your faith over your situation and encounter.

The truth is that nobody knows and nobody will know what an afterlife is until we are long dead and see it for ourselves.

Faith is what we only have to go by and without faith , really what is the point of living because life is only about faith . Faith is family and schools and health and jobs and commitments, and a higher power .

 

I'm sorry to hear of complications you had and I hope you are better !!!!

It wasn't your time to leave this world though

[Jellybe]

Thank you for your kind words and thoughtfulness. Your wisdom and RN experiences have reassured me that without faith we have nothing. I can not tell you how much this has bothered me, but you have given me solid reasons to carry on and keep my faith. I am truly thankful for your thoughts and thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart. God bless!!

[J2911]

Thank you for your kind words and thoughtfulness. Your wisdom and RN experiences have reassured me that without faith we have nothing. I can not tell you how much this has bothered me, but you have given me solid reasons to carry on and keep my faith. I am truly thankful for your thoughts and thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart. God bless!!

 

 

You are more than welcome !!!!!

God bless you as well and you have a fantastic day friend !

[BetheButterfly]

****NEW~~I recently flatlined for 12 seconds during surgery. Before surgery I was a devoted Lutheran and believer in faith, but now I find myself questioning if God is real. When I awoke from surgery I was informed I had an allergic reaction to an anesthesia. The nurse informed me that my heart had stopped for 12 seconds. I laughed at first and she said NO really your heart stopped. I then noticed that I had lost my bladder function during the short procedure. Here is my dilemma, I didn't see anything no bright light, beautiful colors or my recently deceased father. I'm questioning my faith and whether there is anything after we pass. I never had any doubt before this happened to me. I keep telling myself I wasn't gone long enough, however in the back of my mind I keep doubting. Does anyone have any advice? It didn't hurt I remember nothing. I just want to be the way I was before this happened a complete believer.

 

I am glad that you are alive!!!

 

I personally do not think one heart stopping for 12 seconds is long enough to effectively evaluate if there is life after death.

 

As a Christian, I do believe there is life after death, but I understand why that belief is doubted by other people. While some people believe in reincarnation, I personally do not believe that, but I'm not going to tell those who believe in reincarnation that they're wrong, because I don't have 100% proof either way.

 

Interestingly, the Sadducees (a Jewish group who believed in G-d during Jesus' time) did not believe in resurrection (life after death):

 

Matthew 22 (NIV)

 

"23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother. 26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh. 27 Finally, the woman died. 28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”

29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[b]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

 

 

My personal advice is to pray to God about it and express to Him your disappointment in not experiencing a bit of life after death. You can also question yourself if you believe in Jesus' teachings, including his teachings about his Father in Heaven (God) and the resurrection or life after death.

 

Personally, I think your experience is a spiritual test. What will you do? There are thousands of kinds of tests that God gives people. Below are some instances where God tested people in different ways: (All the verses are in NIV)

 

Exodus 16:4 "Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

 

 

Deuteronomy 13

"If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, 2 and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, “Let us follow other gods” (gods you have not known) “and let us worship them,” 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul"

 

1 Chronicles 29:17 "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you."

 

Psalm 17:3 "Though you probe my heart, though you examine me at night and test me, you will find that I have planned no evil; my mouth has not transgressed."

 

Psalm 66:10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.

 

There are others, but there's also a parable Jesus talked that makes me heedful of other kinds of tests, such as the test of wealth:

 

Matthew 13

 

"18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

 

Blessings and yeah, please seek God in prayer and also search your own heart. Why do you believe what you believe? Do you have a personal relationship with Him?

[Speakingofwhich]

When Jesus Christ died he was in the grave for three days. He didn't see any bright lights, either, and He didn't go to heaven until after He was resurrected, it wasn't when He died. When he went to heaven He went with His body. (Acts 1:9) That's the same way we'll go to heaven when we go, with our bodies.

 

Jesus told His disciples not to touch Him because He hadn't seen the Father yet. (John 20:17) This was proof He rested in the grave until He was resurrected Sunday morning.

 

Here is what the Bible teaches about death and resurrection and is the reason you didn't see bright lights when your heart stopped beating. It is because according to the Bible, that was not the time for you to see bright lights.

 

The Bible teaches death is a temporary state of unconsciousness while a person awaits the resurrection. It repeatedly refers to this state as sleep. (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43;14:20, 31; 15:8; 2Chron.21:1; 26:23 etc) Job called death a sleep (Job 14:10-12) as did David (Ps 13:3) Jeremiah (Jer 51:39,57) and Daniel (Dan 12:2).

 

Jesus Christ, in the NT described the condition of Jairus' daughter, who was dead as sleeping (Matt 9:24, Mark 5:39) Also, He referred to Lazarus similarly (John 11:11-14) Matthew wrote that many "saints who had fallen asleep were raised" after Christ's resurrection (Matt 27:52) and in recording Stephen's death Luke wrote that he "fell asleep." (Acts 7:60)

 

Paul and Peter also called death a sleep (1 Cor. 15:51, 62; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; 2 Peter 3:4)

 

Biblical representation of death as sleep fits its nature as:

 

1. Those who sleep are unconscious; "The dead know nothing" ( Eccl 9:5) 2. In sleep conscious thinking ceases. "His breath goeth forth....in that very day his thoughts perish (Ps 146:4, KJV) 3. Sleep brings an end to all the day's activities. "There is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going." (Eccl 9:10) 4. Sleep disassociates us from those who are awake and their activities. "Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." (Eccl 9:6) 5. In normal sleep emotions are inactive. "Their love, their hatred, their envy now perished." (Eccl 9:6) 6. In sleep men don't praise the Lord. "The dead do not praise the Lord (Ps. 115:17) 7. Sleep presupposes awakening "The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth." (John 5:28,29)

 

When your heart stopped the above conditions were present in you. That's why you didn't see a light or anything. It was a normal "sleep type" experience.

 

The Bible teaches the resurrection for the dead takes place when Jesus returns in the clouds at the second advent. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order; Christ, the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming." (1 Corinthians 15:22,23) "We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye,........the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable." (1 Cor 15:51:52) "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18) This is when you and everyone else will all together see the brightest Light they've ever seen! Jesus Christ coming!

 

Luke 21:27 describes Jesus coming in the clouds with power and great glory at the second advent and Revelation 1:7 tells us that at that time every eye will see Him.

 

So, friend, things are happening for you in the right order! No worries if you know Christ. John 3:36; 1 John 5:12

Edited May 1, 2014 by Speakingofwhich