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“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the GOOD of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”        -Romans 8:28

Life Lessons

There is something about going to funerals that really give us (or should) perspective on life. I know everytime I attend one, I really take time to reflect on life and what is important. Through the loss of my mom and seeing the loss of other loved ones, I keep coming back to these basic, yet important lessons about life:

1.) Nobody Escapes Death

2.) Life is Short

3.) You don’t get to do this Over Again – Live your life on purpose… intentionally

4.) Too many times we wait to speak well of someone until their funeral - they never get to hear what they meant to us. (Encourage people every chance you get, people in your life should know what they mean to you.)

5.) People Will Summarize Your Life in One Sentence - What do you want said of your life? Start living your life so people know what to say at your funeral.

6.) We need to Enjoy the Journey – We take so much of our lives for granted . . . learn to appreciate the small things

7.) “Nobody on their Death Bed ever said, “I wish I spent more time in the office” – God,  family, friends, and people are what matter in life.

8.) Your Life Matters - I’ve been to funerals where thousands showed up and others where 3 people showed up. Regardless of the numbers, everybody matters to somebody. When you recognize that – you’ll recognize you can make a difference in someones life, and hopefully starting living a life focused on adding value to others.

9.) God is Big, God is Good, God is Life, God is Love, God is Everything – I love people who say they don’t believe in God. If you held a gun to somebody’s head and they knew their life was about to end, they’d believe in God pretty quick. No matter how hard life is, no matter what the circumstances, the greatest life lesson we can ever learn is that God loves us. He cares about us, He works all things out for our good, He is everything and we need to pursue Him with all of our hearts.

I hope this series helped you if you’re going through the heartache of losing a loved one. I feel your pain, and I’m here to tell you that there is a God that loves you and understands your pain as well. He wants to be a part of your life and part of your healing process. Don’t run from Him, run to Him – I promise you’ll find peace and joy in Him and your life will never be the same.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the GOOD of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”        -Romans 8:28

Steps

Get in a Good Church – Once you’ve made the God decision, you need to get in a good church that actually teaches the Bible. Unfortunately, it’s because of the teaching of a lot of churches that we even have to make the God decision. You must know that God is good, He loves you, and He has a great plan for your life.

Surround Yourself with People that Will Give You the Truth -As I said yesterday, getting around friends and family is great, but it’s not enough. As far as surrounding yourself with people – you need to get around people who will speak the Word of God into your life, encourage you, push you through, and enable you to see that there really is a bright future ahead of you.

Take Your time Grieving, But Then Move On – it is perfectly ok to grieve and let your emotions go for a period of time. The problem is people who let it go on for years and years and never move on. In II Sam. 12:15-23 it talks about David grieving over His son while he was ill, but once his son passed away, he went back to normal life,there was nothing more he could do. I’m not saying you forget about the person or won’t miss them, I’m simply saying that you don’t let the emotions take control of you any longer than necessary.  Have people help you through this process…

Be Thankful for the Time You Did Have with Them - So many times we focus on all the things we won’t get to do with that person. “They won’t be at my wedding, see my kids, etc.” while this is true, we never focus on the time we did have with them, most likely because we took it for granted. When you become thankful for all the good times you had with them and all the time you got to spend with them, it really helps you though the process.

Tomorrow I want to talk about the impact the loss of a loved one should have on you….

Thoughts?