It's okay for our hearts to hurt...

We went to a funeral today.

It was a hard day to do that.

Today my Lanny Love

enters his tenth year as a widower.

Today marks nine years

since his beautiful Judy went Home.

But the funeral sermon was helpful.

The minister, Dr. G. A. Roach,

himself a widower and having lost an adult son,

spoke of the "home" we have in Heaven.

In our conversation after the service,

he expounded that here we live in a tent.

A fabric tent that eventually rots and blows away.

In Heaven, we inherit a mansion,

built to last for all eternity!

But perhaps the most profound thing he said -

at least for me -

is this:

We do not grieve for our deceased loved one who has gone Home.

We grieve for ourselves at the loss of their physical presence.

 

(When I asked his permission to use this,

he said he did not wish to be credited

since the idea came from Jesus.

So this is from Jesus

via His servant Dr. G. A. Roach.)

 

He said grief is not wrong.

We live in the "Hope" of eternity -

that sure knowledge that we will see our loved one again -

but in our "still here" state,

it is normal and healthy to grieve.

The Bible does indeed say we will not grieve as those with no hope

(the unsaved)

but rather that we will grieve,

while moving forward with Hope.

He encouraged the family and friends

to grieve as they grieve -

for we each grieve differently -

for as long as it takes.

 

It was a good day to be reminded

that it's okay for our hearts to hurt.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed 

about those who sleep in death,

so that you will not grieve like the rest,

[notice there is no period after "grieve"] 

who are without hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and ro
se again,

we also believe that God will bring with Jesus 

those who have fallen asleep in Him.

 

By the word of the Lord, 

we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord  

will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.  

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, 

with the voice of an archangel, 

and with the trumpet of God, 

and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise.

After that, we who are alive and remain 

will be caught up together with them in the clouds 

to meet the Lord in the air. 

And so we will always be with the Lord. 

 

I Thessalonians 4:13-17