A successful middle-aged judge suffered a freak accident and faces a slow, terrible death. His family and friends can’t bear him. His pain, depression, and uncertainty grow.

Thoughts of his life — childhood happinesses, ambitions, what he lived for, and his behavior — crowd into his mind. Did he live his life as he should have?

This short story by Leo Tolstoy, often regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time, is a shocking read. It makes one think seriously about life. Am I living as I ought to live, or am I deceiving myself? Can things be fixed?

Spoiler alert:

Amid his suffering, Ivan experiences a radical change, dying in hope. His incremental yet sudden transformation makes sense in light of biblical teachings on regeneration and justification.

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