When the Dust Settles

Many times I have witnessed the swirl of dust particles, hair and lint through the blazing sunlight coming through the window in our home. A dog shakes, a cat jumps, a body whisks through the room and little pieces of stuff are on the move. If the sun was not shining through the window at just the right angle nobody would even notice these tiny particles and what-not floating around in the air. Given enough time, eventually all the dust particles will settle down to the floor, furniture and counter tops. When the dust does settle it usually means that all activity has calmed down or ceased all together.
This past week was a swirl of unfortunate activity. Three people connected to our fellowship through relationships passed away. A mom, a friend and an uncle. The funerals and memorial services lined themselves up starting on Monday and finished on Saturday afternoon.
As the dust of these activities has settled I see two very important lessons to be learned, prayed through and put into practice.
First, as Christians our lives lived out is indeed the gospel to others. The preacher at my uncle’s funeral spoke of the great evidence of a changed life by the powerful display of the gospel of Jesus Christ as it was lived out in the life of my uncle. He entitled his message, “The Gospel according to Kenneth Neill Foster”. His life was full of the evidence of a life well lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. What is the Gospel according to Kevin Cecil Nichol like, I wondered to my self as I sat there listening. I wonder what 6 points the preacher at my funeral would make as a comparison to the real gospel of Jesus Christ I said I believed in.
Second, was a comment my good friend made about his mother as he read out her eulogy. He basically explained that his mom had a gift. This gift was powerfully evidenced as the family tried to come to a consensus on who would do the eulogy for their mom. The fear was that whoever did the task would somehow make it appear that they were "more favoured" than the others in the family by their mother. As the conversation continued it became quite clear that their moms wonderful gift was the ability to make each of her children feel like they were more favoured than the rest. Each child found that they believed that mom treated them more special than the others, only to discover together, that in reality she had treated them all so well it had become their own personal perception of that relationship. Oh that we would all inherit such a God-like quality. The ability to make others feel uniquely special, to make others feel highly favoured by our actions of faithful love towards them. This love is like God's love toward all of us. Lord, make me like my friends mother.
Well, the dust has settled now. Reflections have benefited my life. Like the scripture says the wise allow sorrow to have a refining influence upon them. Thanks Lord for the privilege of knowing these fine Christian people. Thanks also for the joy of knowing that becuase they believed in you, recieved your forgiveness, and lived out their faith they are with you even now forever in your care.
God is good... All the Time!