I recently had the honor of being present when a dear friend went to heaven. If you’ve ever had that rare privilege you know all too well the mix of emotions involved: tears, times of silence and prayer, and even though rare, light moments of laughter when a fun memory of the deceased is shared by those present.
There’s nothing like a death to remind us of the reality of our own mortality. All of a sudden what the wise man wrote makes lots of sense,
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2 (NIV)
Of course we like partying more than sadness and as a result many live as if they will never have to face eternity.
The one inevitable fact of life is that all of us are going to meet our Maker one day. We each need to be ready for that moment.
The only good thing about this bad thing called death is that it gives us access to an afterlife in heaven.
Maybe we ought to look at dying as one of those necessary evils we all must go through in order to enter and enjoy the amazing world God has created for those who love Him.
And by all accounts of the imagination heaven is an incredible place!
The worst day in heaven will be a thousand times better than the greatest day on earth. (Feel free to Tweet that).
Why have a limited view of the eternal place our limitless God has prepared? (I devote an entire chapter to heaven in my new book Hecklers In Your Choir: Silencing The Voices That Hold You Back – yet to be published)
The only way to face the death of someone you love is with faith that this life is not all there is and that you’re going to see your friend again one day. That’s the kind of hope that keeps us going.
My friend was a faithful believer in Jesus Christ and that made his passing much easier to handle.
As his family and friends gathered around him one last time I was struck with the thought that I have to really make spending time with my loved ones a priority.
In over thirty years of ministry and dealing with people not once have I heard someone at the end of life say, “I wish I would have spent more time at the office.” No! What people regret most is the time they wasted on the unimportant.
YOLO! (You Only Live Once) Be intentional about squeezing the juice out of every moment you have with those you love.
Leonardo da Vinci had this amazing insight into life. He said that the average human looks without seeing, listens without hearing, touches without feeling, eats without tasting, moves without physical awareness, inhales without awareness of odor or fragrance, and talks without thinking.
That can be me, oblivious to everything other than what I am focused on. What’s your heart fixed on? Your work? The here and now? Profit?
How about, beginning today, you start making God and family your absolute priority?
Make your moments count! Call, text, send a random pic, email someone you love and live knowing there’s a heaven to gain one day.
So, what do you think? How do you handle the death of people you love? Please leave me a comment.