Learning to Accept Loss

One of the harder aspects of ministry is dealing with loss. Seeing those that you've grown to love in fellowship over time move on to be with the Lord. People you're used to seeing week after week. You know where they sit, who they ride with, you get to shake their hand, hug their neck, and greet them as they warmly greet you. The faithful who pass on are bittersweet losses. You know you'll miss their presence. You half expect to see them sitting in their same familiar place, and see the same sweet smile come over their face. You know that nobody can replace losses like that. At the same time you know that when they opened their eyes in eternity, what they saw is something we only imagine. It's glory and beauty that's unspeakable. It's communion with their savior, Jesus Christ. For that we hope even in sorrow. For that we can smile and cry at the very same time. Our church lost another beloved saint of God this morning in the passing of Lanese Jones. She was a staple at Little Mountain. At 93 years old she was faithful to be here more than men and women 3 times younger than she. And though she lived a long and fruitful life, we will miss her faithful presence here. She would be here early on Sunday morning, Sunday night if she could, and even Wednesday night we could almost always count on seeing her here with Ms. Crowe. She didn't get around like a 30 year old, but you can't match her kind of faithfulness. The longer I'm here, I find the more I miss those who move on. The funerals become harder even as I become more experienced at ministering at them. Part of the minister's job is to minister at the time of death. Doing that means learning to accept the loss. Putting myself into their shoes, even though I've been blessed to have lost very few of my own family. So you grieve when they grieve. But at the same time you trust that "he who promised is faithful." Faithful not to let a single child of His slip through the cracks. Those who trust in Him will close their eyes, but they will wake up in His presence. And one day we'll meet again, and when we do I look forward to saying hello to Ms. Jones, and Claude Camp, and James Staggs, along with the others I barely knew that went before me. We accept loss because we know it's not forever. We can learn to accept death because we know death has been defeated, even though it'll still claim all of us if Jesus doesn't come first. But we don't commit ourselves to death, but to life. Into His hands, our spirit goes, and the faithful God who saved us will one day raise us. That will be a party I will not want to miss.