Is it a Loss, or a Win?

Last week, I got one of those calls in the early morning.  You know the ones - they bring dreadful news that no one wants to hear, no matter what time of day they come.  It was my sister, Carol, informing me that our brother (okay, he was my sister's husband, but as long as they'd been married, he was really my brother, you know?) had finally succumbed to heart disease.  He was survived by my sister and her 3 children.  The youngest child is 23.

For approximately 23 years, he had fought some serious heart problems.  Many times, we thought he would go on the heart transplant list, or that there was nothing more they could do.  God sustained him through all of those things, even when the going was really hard.  He continued to minister in any way he could in the small, rural area where God had placed him.  He worked alongside my sister in her ministry as well.

He wasn't perfect.  (But who of us is?)  He wasn't even a perfect minister, (is that even possible?) but he was a really, really good one.  The testimony was clear as we greeted people on that first long day of visitation.  It lasted seven hours, and only towards the end of that period did the line start to diminish to the point that it didn't reach all the way to the door.  Folks were generous.  Unbelievably so.  Food, cash, hugs, nothing seemed to be too good for my sister in her time of loss.

But, was it a loss, or a win?  I actually laughed as people tried to comfort the family with such words as, "he's at rest now".  They didn't know him very well.  Instead, I feel pretty sure he was dancing in the streets, hugging on Jesus, and greeting those who had gone before him.  In his new body, he didn't have to worry about overdoing it for the first time in 23 years.  The idea of him resting was laughable.

The other thing we say is that we are sorry for the loss.  Funny, he isn't lost at all.  Sure, there will be a Steve-sized hole in our family for a long time.  Just like there is a mom-sized hole and a Chuck-sized hole, and a Melody-sized hole.  However, it was never more clear that he is not lost to us.  Yes, we do wish we could hang on to him a little bit longer.  A few more hugs.  A couple more times to say, "I love you".  The upcoming weddings and new developments in the life of grandchildren.  But lost, that he is not.

Please hear my heart here.  Knowing what to say in the funeral home is the hardest thing ever.  I am not making fun of anyone here.  I was comforted by those who came by to share their stories, and as usual, I am sure this was uncomfortable for them, which makes their presence, and their comments, even more special.  Instead, I am saying that we do not grieve like the lost.  Life is a vapor, according to the Scripture, and none of us are guaranteed to live beyond our next breath.  The time for salvation is now. So is the time to get to work.

Have you been putting off something that you need to do for the Kingdom?  God can use someone else to do it, but you will certainly miss the blessing of being the one that God called to complete that work. Perhaps you are too busy.  If so, my friend, then you are certainly too busy.  Lay down all those tasks that mean relatively nothing, and pick up the work to which you were called.  I promise, you won't regret it.