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Reflections Of An Memorable Day

July 11th, 2017 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Recently, my wife and I attended a funeral service and a wedding reception on the same day. It was the first time I had ever done that, and there was a wide range of emotions that we shared that day-from the tears of sadness at the funeral to the music on the dance floor at the wedding reception.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “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.”

I thought about that verse that day. I was glad for the experience of the wedding reception for it was a celebration of life, and a celebration of committed love. There is real joy in that kind of celebration.

But the funeral was also a celebration of life, remembering someone’s faithfulness to the Lord, and someone’s special qualities that added joy to our lives while they lived. That person was my mother-in-law, and she will be missed.

Among the sympathy cards we received, one person noted how at the service, they were challenged with some legacy questions. After I am gone, how will I be remembered? Will I be remembered as someone who loved the Lord and loved my family? These are some of the ways that attending the house of mourning can help us make the most of the opportunities that God gives us with our window of time on this earth.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 gives us wisdom for turning to God at the crossroads of life.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com