A Healthy Perspective

I just spent 2 hours with the most amazing family.

We spent 2 hours organizing and writing the funeral service for their loved one that passed away. Tomorrow we will participate in a "Celebration of life" for him. A community gathering together to support each other in their moment of grief.

This remarkable family pulled together, shared tears and laughter, as they honored the memory of their loved one, Mic Jensen.

Mic loved life. He never met a stranger. It never crossed his mind to refuse help to someone in need. The overview of Mic's life is staggering as I realize his passion for life and his devotion to his family and friends.

Mic's life is well described in George Strait's song "The Breath You Take":

The Breath You Take

He looks up from second base
And Dad’s up in the stands
He saw the hit, the run, the slide
There ain’t no bigger fan
In the parking lot, after the game
He said Dad I thought you had a plane to catch
He smiled and said, yeah son, I did

But life’s not the breath you take
The breathing in and out
That gets you through the day
Ain’t what it’s all about
You just might miss the point
Trying to win the race
Life’s not the breaths you take
But the moments that take your breath away

Fast-forward fifteen years
And a thousand miles away
Boy’s built a life, he’s got a wife
And a baby due today
He hears a voice saying I made it, son
Says I told you Dad, you didn’t have to come
He smiles and says, yeah, I know you did

But life’s not the breath you take
The breathing in and out
That gets you through the day
Ain’t what it’s all about
You just might miss the point
Trying to win the race
Life’s not the breaths you take
But the moments that take your breath away

Just like it took my breath when she was born
Just like it took my breath away
When Dad took his last that morn

Life’s not the breath you take
The breathing in and out
That gets you through the day
Ain’t what it’s all about
You just might miss the point
If you don’t slow down the pace
Life’s not the breaths you take
But the moments that take your breath away

My spiritual thought for today is, "God uses the affects of age to prepare us to let go of the binds that hold us to this old world and prepare us mentally and emotionally to let go".

If we were in perfect health and vibrant - we would never never want to leave the nest.
However, God disrupts our lives with graying hair, failing eyesight, bad backs, and many other ailments that plague us as we get older. Each of these ailments is a gentle reminder that our good Lord is preparing a home for us and our time here is limited.

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints."
Psalm 116:15

This is only possible because the good Lord is calling His child home - away from pain and suffering - to a home where there is no disease, pain or tears.

I prefer to view this whole process from God's point of view.

A Christian Friend Is Close To Heaven Tonight

I just received word that a wonderful Christian lady (about my age), who has been ill for a long time, is getting ready to pass away very soon. She is surrounded by her loving family. They are gathering together to express their love and appreciation for her strength, faith and love. I just want to briefly encourage you to remember them in your prayers. Many of you won't know her but as a member of Gods family, she is "our" sister in Christ. So I leave you with a brief Scripture full of Gods hope and promise.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"  Psalm 116:15
A Christian facing death forces us to reflect on a aspect of death which is rarely considered.  It is the perspective of our Heavenly Father on the death of one of His dearly loved children. Often we contemplate death, like most other things, from our side. Psalm 116 tells us that from the viewpoint of Heaven the death of a saint is neither horrible or tragic but instead is, "precious." This raises the question, Why is the death of His people precious in the sight of the Lord? 
(a) Gods children are precious to Him
(b) death ends suffering and sorrow
"Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him" (Psalm 103:13). So also are we told that our great High Priest is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15)
(c) death opens the door for God to demonstrate His love for His children 
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10)
(d) at death, God gathers His child to Himself 
 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:3). Precious then is the death of the saints in His sight, because absent from the body we are "present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8).

THOUGHT:  It is interesting to trace the meaning of the Hebrew word translated "precious." It is literally, "excellent." "How excellent is Thy loving kindness, O God!" (Psalm 36:7). However a Christian lives, the death of a saint is always excellent in the sight of the Lord.  It is a homecoming of a dearly loved child. 



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