Afraid of death?

I read in my daily devotional a few days ago about heaven and hell--and how it can motivate us, or scare us to do something. Now I DO NOT think that this is the point of it all, to be scared--because there is to be no fear in love...and we are to love. But this idea of death, and judgement--we see it in lots of stories of people hanging on to life. Of survival through adverse situations.

And it got me thinking--why is it that this is so noble, so good to us to hear? Beat the bad guys, persevere, struggle against the demons in our life, and live?

And then something else, that the Apostle Paul said--"to live is Christ, to die is gain." This seems almost opposite of what a lot of us think at times.

Now I know where I am at, and having spent a year in Iraq, I know how I have faced some near-death scenarios, but what is it that God really wants. I think it really does boil down to that statement of Paul's.

We shouldn't be afraid of dying--it should be looked forward to when it happens. But we should also know, and have peace about, our life here, that we have the joy to live each daily to the full--for Christ! Because when it's over, it's over and we are on to heaven. And that will be beyond our wildest imaginations. I am really thinking this is the attitude to have...to live life, but not be attached to it...at least not this worldly life.

I am interested to hear other viewpoints...cause I by no means think I am the expert on this.