A day that could have, and by some accounts, should have been a horrible and unredemptive day was not. Yes, funerals are sad and show our brokenness like nothing else can. It is when we are confronted with our mortality. And that is spiritually unnatural. We were created for eternity. Anything less is pain. But, funerals are also a day to celebrate. We celebrate the work of God in the person who has died. We celebrate heaven and we celebrate the goodness of God.
I am of the opinion that all things that come our way are really blessings. Some are Happy Blessings and some are Sad Blessings. But they are all good because they come to us from a sovereign God who is good. He knows what he is doing... I do not. He is good and he loves me. That is all I need.
Some of you may think that I say these things flippantly but that is not true. I have seen loss, death, misery and disappointment. I have experienced the Sad Blessings. And God is good.
E.V. Hill preached his wife's funeral. His text was from Job chapter 1. "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." He said that we like "the Lord giveth" part... when that happens we say "Blessed be the name of the Lord." But when he takes away, when our hearts feel broken and we don't understand, we must say then "Blessed be the name of the Lord." even though we may not want to. Because God is good.
After my granddad's funeral, Chris and the kids and I went over to my Uncle Teddy's house. Teddy is my mother's brother. He is now the patriarch of the family now. A heavy weight to him, I'm sure. But he is a godly man who wants to know God and God's hand is on him. He loves his family even when things get ugly. I see Christ in him. God used our time with him in a redemptive way. We cried and mourned our loss. We grilled out, laughed and shared memories. We had genuine fellowship with one another and ended the night in prayer. God is good.
I pray for Teddy as he leads our family. I pray for my family. I pray for Nanny. I pray for redemption. I pray that God will give me the grace to see His goodness in my life. And I pray that I will be able to always say "Blessed be the name of the Lord."
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3 comments:
Sweet, redemptive time with a member of your family -- that fills my heart with joy for you.
In my last comment to you I talked about my sister in law and her loss of her sister, and her family in a car accident. I remember during all of that I heard various family members (parents of the victims) say through their tears and frustration that whatever they did from now on, they just wanted to glorify God through their actions. I was floored.
It is amazing to me the feelings that a persons death bring with it.
It's such a wide range of emotion.
You have brought some humor about the funeral, and also our reality in God's goodness and our response to Him.
Thank you
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