And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. — Revelation 21:4 KJV
After recently attending two funerals in the same weekend, I found myself looking at each and every person, thinking of how every person walking this earth today will die someday in the future, a date that only God knows.
It caused me to pause and consider how many of us live our lives as if we will be here forever. We work every day to make our living, pay mortgages, pay our rent, car notes and all of the things this life requires.
But as Matthew 24:13 reminds us, “But of that day and hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only!” And as John 9:4-5 KJV says, “I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh. when night cometh, no man can work, I am the light of the world.”
These thoughts were spurred by those two funerals. The first was in North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 4 for a young woman only 27 years old. She was the granddaughter of a very dear friend and sorority sister. Her services were very nice, with at least 300 people in attendance.
Then the second funeral was held less than 24 hours later, this time for a very close sorority sister who was brought into Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., by me and my sisters. I wrote a tribute to her recently right here in The Religion Corner. She was rather young, too — only 61 years old.
As most of us do, once the funerals are over and we are back at home, we tend to reflect and ponder our own lives and how we have been living. We will ask ourselves, do we need to make changes? Is God pleased with how I’ve been living my life? Have I forgiven everyone who has caused me trepidation? and the list goes on and on.
These funerals did cause me to ponder, too. I thought of my life insurance, my homegoing services, who would I tell my family to get to sing for my services. Just as we know we have to prepare grocery lists and prepare budgets, we also have to prepare for that day when your family and friends will memorialize you. You will not be here in your body any longer, your spirit returns back from whence it came. Scripture says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
Folks, handle your business. I know most of us really don’t want to think about this or enjoy such thoughts, but it is just as much a part of our lives as living each day is. You decide if you want to be buried in the ground, or you want to be cremated, or do you really want to be buried in a mausoleum.
For your homegoing services, how do you want that service to run? Singers or no singers? Reflections or no reflections? So many decisions.
Take the bull by the horns, and treat your end-of-life plans just as seriously as you plan for the beginning, as you plan your bills each month, and as you plan your grocery list.
I close with these Scriptures:
· Revelation 21:4 — “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
· Romans 14:8 — For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord.
· Ecclesiastes 12:7 — Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
· Philippians 4:19 — And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, visit her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on Twitter @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.