Funerals are a part of life, at least attending them is a part of life. Still the one I attended yesterday was particularly difficult. This funeral was for a child, a baby. This baby was born too early, he didn't have lungs that were developed enough to survive. The parents are friends of ours whom we love dearly. I respect and honor their strength.
I would not have been so strong, I would have been a wreck. My wife tells me I am a passionate person, I would never describe myself this way, but perhaps she is right. At this funeral the pastor put the normal spin on it. He said things like, "we are celebrating a homecoming for this baby" and "he (the baby) is in the arms of Jesus." We (I should say they, I couldn't muster the strength to sing) sang songs about children and how Jesus loved them or how they are such a great blessing. The normal passages about heaven and the time Jesus' spent with children were read. It was suppose to be this happy time, this celebration. I could not do it. I was not happy and could not convince myself to be happy.
Baby's are not suppose to die. Children are suppose to outlive their children. That baby may have "gone home," but he went home too soon. Why can't we just be mad at God once and a while? I am mad at God for allowing my friends to go through this. If it was my child, I would be absolutely furious. I wouldn't sing happy songs, I would probably go into a deep depression. Why does everything in Christianity have to be happy? How does an untimely death like this bring joy? This isn't a blessing, it is part of the curse!! It is the sinfulness of man and the curse that resulted from the sin of Adam and Eve that causes these kind of things. We need to take a look at how we deal with these things. Two hours, that is all the parents had, two hours...two stinkin' hours. What is so great about that? The first time the baby was ever tucked in it was at the funeral. His dad never played catch, and his mom never had the opportunity to change a dirty diaper or get up at 1:30 AM to feed him. There is nothing great or even good about this!
Matt (my friend) showed amazing strength. I would have been out of my mind. There needs to be a place for anger, for depression, for sadness, for crying, for all of this stuff. We don't have to be happy all the time!!
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2 comments:
I am with you on this one John. There is no joy in pain like this. D
You are right, and there IS place for anger and sadness.
Remember, the Bible says, BE ANGRY and sin not. It does not say,'Do not be angry.'
I had an aquaintance who's husband was a surveyor, working on a road side. An 80+ year old man did not see them and hit and killed him, leaving a 25 year old widow and 2 small children. This young Christian woman had the presence of mind to say to those ignorant people who say things like 'well my dear, it is God's will' "No it is NOT God's will! It is not God's will that anyone die; IT is the fall of man that caused this."
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