I attended a funeral the other day for a man that I met only one time. It was one of those situations of professional courtesy and compassion. I don't mean that as a mere performance of duty. I really wanted to attend and show genuine compassion and support for those who remain. Although, there were so many people at the funeral that I doubt the family will be able to remember who was there and who was not. Maybe they took comfort in the fact that the reason there were so many in attendance was that Mr. Wolf really was that well-liked and appreciated.
Mr. Wolf was up in years and died of cancer. He left behind his wife and grown children, several grands, and many friends. After hearing the reflections from those who shared some of their memories, I feel that I almost knew him. As each person spoke I watched others in the congregation nod their heads in agreement with the description of a person who knew Christ and made it his mission to make Christ known to everyone he met.
He had a dynamic personality and probably did not meet many strangers. It sounds like he lived life with passion and intention. He loved his wife and family, and deeply cared about those around him. He was a stickler for details, everything had a place and purpose. At the same time, he seemed to be one of those unique people who could stop and take in the beauty of creation and appreciate his labor.
Sometimes, I love going to funerals. That sounds odd. But, think about it. When did you hear anyone focus on the negative during a funeral? Oh, we laugh at the personality quirks and joke about the funny moments. But it is always more of laughing "with" than laughing "at" the deceased. There is something cathartic about sharing memories with kindred hearts at wakes and funerals. It's OK to cry and laugh at funerals, it' a healthy part of the grieving process. It frees our souls and spirits to pause and reflect on the impact that one life has on another; one human to another.
Let's face it, death is a human reality. It's not really important how we die, but how we have lived. That is what distinguishes us from our human weaknesses. How did we impact humanity? What will we be remembered for? Hopefully the positive ways that we influence one another will blind us to our shortcomings and failures. None of us have any room to criticize each other, we are all human.
God knows our faultiness. Under His scrutiny, our humanity shines in all its dimness. God is not discouraged with our humanity, He accepts us for what we are. But the positive side of His love is that He does not leave us to our own end. Through Christ we can become what God intended - people who will know God and care about others.
So, what will they say at my funeral? I don't know, but I hope that my humanity does not get too much in the way of what God intends. I'd like to be remembered as someone who was like Mr. Wolf - he knew God and pointed other humans to Him by the way he lived his life. I'd also like to live many more years!
Merry Christmas, my human friends!
Emanuel!
I have an idea what I could say at your funeral.However, death is not the end but the beginning of our birth in the eternal spiritual realm where Christ will greet us.
ReplyDeleteThe best testimony is that people came to remember. Some people have nobody or they burned bridges and never reconciled. Either way it is a sad state to go in. I deal with the dying everyday that I work. Some know Christ and others do not. Some will have someone at their side and others will not. They either burned bridges or were just forgotten or nobody bothered to care.
On the flip side, the most beutiful thing to see was when a person named wallace came and sat for days next to a homeless man he did not know. The man smelled like something rotten out of the dumpster and the smell would not go away. He had no family and no friends. This guy came and sat with him everyday from the time he was in our ICU on life support to the time he was semi-lethargic on the general floor hospital room. He did it just so the guy had someone there by his side. He had dedicated himself to the homeless ministry. It was a wonderful thing to see.