Already I have gone to 2 funerals this year and they were only a week apart. The first was for a beautiful vivacious 3 year old and the second one was for a man close to 70. One was a tiny pink casket and the other was a crafted wooden full sized casket. Both funerals were celebrations of the person's life. There was grief, but the joy of a life lived well, no matter how long or how short, was evident.
Taylor had just turned 3 before her leukemia became evident in her body again. She had fought the battle when she was only 18 months old and we all thought she had won. She was in remission for a year. Life had returned to normal and everyone around her cherished every moment with her. Her pictures show the uninhibited joy only a child can show. She was beautiful, smart, and so ready to just live! To then see her get so sick again was very hard on her family and their friends. We all prayed so much for her healing. It didn't come like we hoped. But as her dad told me at the funeral home, "Cancer did NOT win. She did NOT lose her battle. She is healed now in Heaven. She won!" And when we were at the funeral and I expressed sorrow that he had to say good-bye now as they closed the casket, he said, " I am not saying good-bye, just see you later. We will see her again." Her dad is the same age as one of my sons and they spent a lot of time together. I don't know when he got to be so wise. Maybe trials strengthened him. He certainly touched my heart with his words. They are now expecting a baby, a new miracle of life to help them heal. God is blessing their faithfulness. Taylor will never be forgotten, but we are thankful for another chance at life in this new child.
The second funeral was for a godly man who lived his life for his wife, family and for whatever God was calling him to. He retired early to be more free to serve. He touched many lives at home and in Jamaica where they took short term missions teams. He left a legacy of serving, and at his funeral, you could see how many people were impacted by his life. You could also see how many would continue his legacy. It was amazing. His was a life well lived, and I am sure he heard. "Well done, good and faithful servant.
This week, friends of ours from years ago went through the trial of giving up a teen son following a tragic accident. He was a senior in high school, and though I never knew him, I know his was a life well lived, too. From looking at Facebook pics, I could see he lived life with a love for adventure and for people. He enjoyed life to the fullest. The tributes people have written for him, the sheer numbers who have shown up for him at the hospital, and then today for his service show he was much loved as was his whole family. I know he had a generous giving spirit, too, because he was an organ donor. As his life was ending, he was opening up new life to as many as 65 people in his organ donor capacity. His life will go on in many because of that, and because he touched lives in living as well. His parents raised him well- to love God and others. And they took joy in living which was evident his life, too.
It is sad to have someone die who is close to you. We will miss them. We will grieve all we miss with them. We hurt because they are not present with us. There is pain in that. Yet we do not grieve without hope. We have hope to see our loved ones again. We have peace because we know where they are. We have joy knowing they are in God's presence, whole and happy.
Where does that hope, peace, and joy come from? It is in Christ's death and resurrection that we can experience those things. Christ died for us so we can live forever with Him in heaven. He took the punishment of our sins on Himself so we could be pardoned from them. He died so we wouldn't have to die and be gone forever. Instead we can live forever. He has claimed victory over death, sin, and the devil. When we give our hearts to Jesus, we live in Him and with Him. We can claim victory as well.
When loved ones go on before us, we can say, "See you later! We'll be coming soon!" Death has not claimed them or us. We have the victory! Jesus won that for us through his death, and because of that, we have life!
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