I woke up this morning thinking that it was Saturday. I was very excited about that. Not for the normal reasons that one would be excited about the weekend. I was excited because I thought it was Saturday, October 10, 2009. The day of Lori's memorial service and home-going party. Yes, I am looking forward to my friend's funeral.
Call me weird. Why in the world would a "normal" person be excited to attend a funeral service, especially for someone who was struck down in the prime of life by cancer? Because I want to celebrate that Lori is with our Lord Jesus with the other people who love her. I want to be reminded that this world is not our home. And I need to remember that all who have faith in Jesus Christ will be with the Lord in heaven for eternity.
Eternity is a long time. It's much longer than the time that we have on this earth. Lori was convinced (as I am) that she would be with Jesus forever, no matter what the cancer did to her. Her family holds onto the hope that we have in Jesus Christ. Hope is believing what we cannot see.
Faith and hope are best friends; they go hand-in-hand. When you have faith in Jesus, you can be assured that your hope for eternity with Him will be fulfilled. Maybe you're asking why eternity with Jesus is a big deal. Maybe you don't get all this Jesus stuff.
There are two facts that you need to understand. First, there is an eternity. Second, you can choose to spend eternity with God or without Him.
Why is eternity without God a big deal? Imagine your worst possible day. Then multiply that by a million. That is what every day without God will be like. Imagine that you pull a hang nail past your first knuckle, that someone pours lemon juice on it, then rubs a rusty nail over it. It would be the worst pain that you could ever imagine, and there is no medicine to fix it. It throbs and it hurts and you have no relief. Ever.
If you are not sure where you will spend eternity, talk to someone about this. A trusted Christian friend. A pastor. Heck, even me.
You are not guaranteed another day. You could die today. I'm not trying to be morbid, just realistic. Start talking with someone and get this figured out.
I felt the same way when my mother passed on. I was sad because I won't get to talk to her anymore in this life, and she didn't get to see the son I was pregnant with, but I rejoiced knowing she would be with Jesus. Nothing wrong with that!
ReplyDeleteWhen we have an occasion like tomorrow we often tend to be sad. How many of us in our lives can say they are attending a Birthday Party for a deceased friend. What a joy for all of us. God Bless everyone tomorrow. Betty
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