A sad face...

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart." Ecclesiastes 7:2-3

My Uncle Charlie died on Thursday night. It was a sudden death and he went quickly feeling little pain in the process. We went to the house of mourning today with the boys and saw a lot of pain, shock, and wondering. We will be attending the funeral and internment tomorrow where, I am sure, there will be more sadness and the gift of recognition that this is the end of all men. I thank God for him and the impact that he had on my life. I also thank God for this time that reminds me that I am not home yet. He reminds me, even now and with crystal clarity, why he sent His Son to this earth to begin with. Our sin did a number on this creation didn't it? This birth we celebrate this season means nothing without the hope that Easter brings.

It is good for me to taste the bitterness of death for it makes me long for my home ever more acutely. It makes me take stock of my life that is all too often wasted and of little consequence. I don't want the choicest cuts of meat or the sweetest wine...I need to shed tears that go so deep that I wonder if I'll ever breathe again. I need to know, again, that I am dust and frail dust at that. I need to know that I am but a single breath from eternity. And so are the ones that I love most dearly.

Dad, please fit me ever more completely for the place your Son is preparing for me. And, please, use the house of mourning to this end and this end alone.

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