Funerals

Today there were two funerals. One for an infant due to be born next week, one for a man who had lived a full life. They are intertwined in only two ways...both of the funerals were today and the infant's name was David and the man who died has a son named David. I know that's a stretch, but it still seemed somewhat connected to me. Hal, that is the man's name had lived a full life, he was a good man, with a kind heart and a giving spirit. He had a great sense of humor and just the little time I was around him, I found him to be a great story teller. I didn't know him very well, but I know his son and knew how the man was toward his son and his partner, my brother, and that was enough for me. The man was a Christian in more than words. He lived his faith. He loved the Lord and loved people. He was good to his family, but even more than that he showed them not only how to live, but how to die, how to look forward to walking with his Lord. He will be missed, but I know without a doubt that right now he is with Jesus and is now pain free. What a blessing! The other funeral, the infant David, didn't have that. He had never taken a breath, a walk, had never met his family. He died in the womb and the parents are left to grieve. Is that right? Who has the greater loss? They are both losses, they will both be mourned, they will both be with Jesus, but which is the greatest loss and should we even try to say? Somehow it seems worse when it is an infant. You want to question God and ask why? Why a little baby? Why not giving us time? But then again, even with an older person, you find yourself asking the same questions. So I ask again, which is the greater loss? To me, maybe it's not in the loss, but in the way we respond to the loss. With an older person it is the natural order, but with an infant, it is out of sync, it is not the way it is supposed to be.

I have never had to face the loss of a child, I can't imagine what that must be like, but I have lost numerous family members and loved ones close to me. It is a loss that leaves you with some parts that feel empty, makes you question the very God who brings life. All I do know is that, death is a part of life. Every tear we shed over a loved one, young or old is also shed by God, our Father. He holds each tear and grieves with us. He knows our pain because He also feels it. Our Father, the God we love, knows the grief of losing a loved one, losing a child. He, after all, sent His Son to die for us. But even more than that, every time a child of God, young or old, turns their back on Him, He grieves. He feels the pain of loss.

I'm sorry for the ones who are grieving today the loss of loved ones, young or old. I pray that they find the peace that can only come from the heavenly Father. The one who loves you so.