I cannot begin to tell you how many condolences and expressions of sympathy that I’ve received concerning my father’s death (on Saturday). I’ve received hundreds of e-mails, texts, calls, and in-person-commiserations at Honey Lake, the Bible study class that I taught yesterday, and at church, and I appreciate them all and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’ve seen looks of bewilderment at my attitude about dad, and even received a disturbing letter that questioned my apparent lack of an appropriate “mourning posture”. I suppose the norms and mores of our society dictate that I should be grief stricken and incessantly wailing for some acceptable period of time; after all my father, (the last living person in our little family), just died leaving me as the last person still standing; normalcy dictates that I should be broken hearted and grieving.
Hmmm . . . I want to celebrate his good fortune, not cry. He’s no longer suffering through this sin plagued world and battling satan at every turn. No, he’s walking on streets of gold with Jesus, reuniting with family and friends who’ve gone on before him. He’s entered into God’s rest where there will never be any hint of sadness ever again!
I’d change places with him in a heartbeat.
At the risk of receiving more letters implying that I’m still a sociopath, I will add another log to the fire and go on record and state that I think that the entire system of mourning the death of a 92 year old “Born Again Christian” and conducting a crazy funeral whereby a “taxidermist-for-humans” tries their utmost to render his “shell” to look as though he’s resting comfortably in a coffin put on display for people to file by and gawk at, is barbaric and . . . well . . . kind of creepy.
All the while we are filing by and staring at his empty shell and lamenting the fact that the taxidermist didn’t do that good of a job, dad’s spiritual body will be walking around in heaven, (not wheeling around in a wheel chair in an assisted living home). He is “digging the scene” and it is GLORIOUS! It’s as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot day.
He’s alive and well and has been perfected by God and I’m happy for him. In fact as I write this entry he’s enjoying God’s gift to the hilt. It’s so grand that our peanut brains cannot even imagine how wonderful it really is; no sorrow, sadness, sickness, sin & perversion, or death; just mind-bending angelic choirs and marvelous colors and dazzling lights illuminated by the glory of God and LOVE completely encompassing him like a warm blanket.
Look up at the stars in the heavens and imagine walking and talking with the Creator of it all. Imagine walking, talking, and laughing with the One who loves us so much that he died a horrific death on a cross in order that we might be with Him and experience His wondrous glory.
That is why I can smile. Yes selfishly I will miss talking to him, seeing him, laughing at his razor wit, and giving him hugs, but that is self-pity and I quickly brush away my warm tears and try my utmost to put aside my selfish desires to conduct a pity party for myself in order to celebrate his victory.
I’m a little sad for me, but very happy for him, but I’m joyful in knowing that in time I will rejoin him and it will be time for me to celebrate with Jesus, and with mom and dad, my brother, and the others.
Dad told me last week, “I’ve stayed the course, kept the faith, fought the good fight, and now I’m ready to receive my reward; I want to go ‘home’”. It makes me smile to remember the peaceful look on his face when he said it. Call me crazy, but that’s how I want to remember my dad and not the silly way he will look today when I view his mortal decaying body lying in a stupid casket.
To you naysayers the Bible reinforces my notion. King David, a man after God’s own heart, lost a child and here is what he said to explain why he didn’t mourn the death of the child that he loved with all of his heart: “But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”
The most poignant story in the Bible relating to this is as follows: “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”
Too many Christians disconcert themselves about that with which they should comfort and encourage themselves. There are many things puzzling and disconcerting to us, which would be pure and profitable, if we rightly understood the message of the salvation of Christ.
Selah . . . Stop, rest, and meditate on this . . .
Acts 2:24
But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
February 3, 2014 – Click here to listen