Going out of the world rejoicing

I have always found it curious that there are some who look at death with the greatest of fear, and that there are others who feel no fear at all. Some may even perhaps welcome it. An example of the latter is my dad, who at 91 years old has spent enough time alone. His favorite phrase, now spoken with gusto, is "the more I want to join my wife, the healthier I get!" This true for him. 10 years ago he was much less healthy than he is now. He is off his array of meds and his oxygen, and the task of filling his time becomes a day-filling job. Here is a man who welcomes death. He didn't fear it before, but here is a man who will be grateful for that day.

This may seem very unusual, but I don't think it's as unusual as many believe it might be. My reading today in Alma 46:39 indicates a group of the Nephites that welcomed death - because they were ready.

39: "And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing"

How awesome is this? Of course none of us are perfect, or ever will be in this life, but how cool is it to know that you have developed yourself and your faith in your Savior (here's a subject: are those two phrases the same thing?) enough to be confident in your judgement day? To welcome the Lord with open arms, rather than fear and trembling? To look forward to that day, or to fear it like being thrown into a black swamp filled with predators?

How much more serene, calm, loving and future appreciating is it to not fear your future, but to embrace it? To look forward to it like a child looks forward to their birthday party? To not loathe each day passing, but to be able to celebrate it and use it as well as you can, knowing that the best of everything is ahead of you?

I believe that for me at least, one of the measures of how well I'm doing is to imaging myself being taken from here and being brought to meet my Redeemer. How would that moment go for me? Have I lived well enough to embrace him with all my being? Or would I prefer to hide? Do I have enough faith to know that he will cover in some way I don't understand the many weaknesses and failures I haven't perfected? Or is my faith lacking in that way? Will I know that I have developed the gifts he has given me enough to report that the talents have been successfully invested?

This is one way, for me at least, to gauge how I'm doing. I'm working on building my relationship with my Savior. I know him and love him, but I know that there is so much more that I can know and that I can love. May I and we be ready for that day, just as the Nephites were.