Dose of Truth

Well you guys, it was a tough week. This week I stood next to my best friend as she laid her dad to rest. “Shouldn’t that be our grandparents?” one of my friends said. What made it kind of shocking was that for the first time, one of the girls in our little group, lost a parent. It hurt all of us and reminded us in a very real way that life is fleeting. But in every trial, there is a dose of truth.

For me this dose was a picture of perfection and I had to share it with you. It wasn’t a message I was expecting but God knew what our hearts needed to hear and maybe yours does too.

If I’m honest, sometimes I tune out at these kinds of things. But this time the priest had my full attention for some reason. He started by saying “let me take the focus off the pain and sadness onto what is actually happening for your loved one John.” I thought to myself “Oh brother! Same old sermon.”

He said, “Think about this. You wait 9 months when you have a child to see your babies face. When you finally do, how happy are you? The wait is over and it’s one of the most powerful moments a person feels. Now, also think about this. What if you were blind and suddenly you could see? You see a flower for the first time. Then you see the trees. Next the inside of your home. You say to the person you’re with “show me more!” If the very next day you could go back to being blind, would you? This is how your loved one is feeling right now. He’s waited his whole life to see Jesus’ face, not just 9 months. And it is the single most powerful moment he has and will ever experience. And being in heaven is like seeing for the first time. Trust me when I tell you he does not want to go back to being blind!”

Having just had a child a few short months ago, this was a powerful picture for me. Can you imagine what it feels like to see Jesus!? Then the priest told us he had a homework assignment for us. He said anytime we see a mother or father holding a baby in the weeks to come, think about John. He said “that’s how Jesus is holding him right now. He has finally returned to his father and Jesus is never going to let him go.”

I don’t know about you but my heart needs to remember this. The Bible says “don’t be transformed by this world but by the renewal of your mind. So you can prove what is good, acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12: 2). As hard as it is to lose someone, or go through trials, we have to renew our minds daily to remind ourselves that this world is temporary. If we are clinging to this world, death would be that much harder but if we are clinging to God’s truth we will remember that death is life. And it is God’s good and perfect will for us. I read this week in Ecclesiastes “there is nothing better in this life then to be happy and do good.” If we can really fix our eyes on Jesus, be happy and do good, I believe we’d hold the key to this life and the next.