Wednesday, September 03, 2003

A long day

Well, I went to the funeral of a family friend this afternoon. Wow, what a funeral.


Well over a hundred of us met in that church, with his wife of 42 years (Today was their wedding Anniversary,) his two grown daughters and their families. We enjoyed two hours of stories, of testimonies, of tributes. And this was a regular guy, nothing "special" as in training or work, he was just a regular guy. He'd been sick with heart problems for years and years, and life was never easy for him. Still he played the hand he had been given, and he played it without malice, without bitterness, without a lasting anger.


He came from sturdy stock. Prairie Mennonites who met God and it made all the difference in the world to them. You worked hard for all you got, and you gave it away freely. You didn't waste your life blaming God for the limitations of your human body, and you got on with the things of faith. You enjoyed the gifts God had given you. Gifts of family and friends, of the Word and prayer and silence and laughter. You carved out a faithful life, as best you could, and you trusted God for the rest, knowing that your efforts were never enough.


The stories went on and on, and it was so good. It gave me hope for myself, and for the men I know. That it is possible to win at life, without things, without even your health, if you will seek after God and His righteousness.


As I said before, he was a regular guy. A regular guy who just happened to be a man of God.

3 comments:

  1. So he has joined the "cloud of witnesses" surrounding us. Sounds like he left the kind of legacy God intends for us to leave. Hope we do as well - leaving behind a reason for others to look at our lives, see God and have hope for their own. Just regular?

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  2. Not too sure how I'll fare when that day arrives. Sometimes those black blotches are permanent ink and can only get white again when we get to 'bask in the Son' - away from these earthly reminders of past failures. Guess I don't really have to think about that anyway. Just live my life from now on, walking in His shadow, under His wings, enjoying His favor. I do love those funerals though, hearing the stories of faithfulness in "ordinary" folk.

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  3. Me either.

    Being a pastor doesn't automatically give you a good funeral, thankfully!

    But, it seems so much about what we do with the little things in life. A constant smile, cheering heart. Hugs and kisses. A word of encouragement in the right time.



    I got a ways to go too.

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