Well-Lived

This past weekend I went to a memorial service for a man at church who died on December 1, 2014. The program they passed out had the title, “Celebration of a Life Well-Lived.” For what I heard and learned about Gale during this ceremony, that was such an appropriate title. Inside were words indicating his various roles: beloved husband, much loved Dad, much appreciated Father-in-law, and much enjoyed Grandpa of nine grandchildren. Also inside was a tribute written by Gale’s wife. The last line of her tribute really made an incredible impact on me. She writes, “If you were sitting here next to me on this cold December day, I know what you would say to my grieving heart: ‘Don’t weep for me, because I am with Him, to whom I dedicated my life.’” Wow!

 

This ceremony made me think back to various funerals I have been to in my life. I have been to some very dark funerals where you could see there was deep sadness, anger, bitterness, and lack of hope for a person who was taken from a family. And I have been to plenty where it was a celebration of a life well-lived, like Gale’s. Don’t hear me wrong, even in the ones that were a celebration, there was plenty of grieving, tears, and sadness of missing someone who played such an important role to their family. It’s just that you could see the hope and encouragement in their eyes that this person was now with Jesus.

For me, these memorial or celebration services of a believer gone home have been the most amazing worship experiences. You can feel the amazing closeness of our Savior as he wraps the family in his heavenly arms and comforts them. And you can certainly feel the powerful message of selected worship songs as everyone sings with their eyes set on heaven and our Savior. There seems to be a “wonderment” about what the person is doing right then, sitting at the feet of Jesus. And also a sense around knowing that someday, we too will go home.

The other theme that I left with from Gale’s service is that he did not muster up a life well-lived in the last few years when he was diagnosed with a blood cancer. No, he had lived this way since accepting Jesus into his heart. You could see it in his children’s eyes and hear it in their words. This was how Dad lived all the years they knew him. And the impact it made on them and their own families was very tangible. Even on his grandchildren. Near the end of the service, all nine grandchildren came up and sang the song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus.” The chorus of that song is so wonderful and appropriate for the celebration we watched:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.

What a fitting way to end this service. It was an amazing celebration of a great man who was going home. I was wonderfully impacted. I left that service with a prayer on my mind, “Lord, help me live a life well-lived.”

Amazed by His Love,

Terence