A Good Funeral

As I write this article, it is Monday morning and I am getting ready to go to a funeral. As I think about the day ahead, I am not anticipating a sad day. There will be sadness in it, some tears will be shed for sure, but this will be a day of celebration.

For as long as I have known them, and for many years before that, George and his wife Doris have been faithful followers of Christ. Their faith was not just something that they talked about or something that they had in name only. Rather, it was something that influenced how they lived, what they valued and how they saw their entire lives.

George was not a very vocal man, but he was influential. His home was always open to anyone who needed a meal or a place to stay. In fact, that is how I first met them. When I was an intern, preaching in the town of Wawota, I stayed with George and Doris. When our Bible camp needed a place to go for a hayride, George and Doris were the first to volunteer their farm. Generous, kind and faithful are words that come to my mind today as I remember him.

George’s children were with him during his final few days, but even that time was marked with joy and hope. They believe that there is more to this life than what we see. This life only lasts a short time. It is “like a mist” (James 4:14), but we are not living for this life. We believe that there is more to come and another home beyond this one.

I am reminded today that I want to live my life with God’s priorities guiding me, so that when my time comes, people can celebrate my life with joy and hope as well.

“Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).