Desires…talking with my cousin last night, he was trying to fulfill his mother’s desires for her funeral. Years ago, she gave me a list of songs. I know…strange, you’d have to know her. It seemed so important to her that she made her desires known about her funeral. The songs, the order, who spoke and who didn’t. Like she was planning a party……. (continued in comment)
The funeral services don’t matter to her now, in my opinion. But they matter to her family. It bring a certain amount of comfort to do as she wished. There will be sadness. It is ok to be sad. Jesus Himself wept out of the emotions of His humanity. (I‘m remembering my aunt drilling us on Bible trivia…what‘s the shortest verse in the Bible? “Jesus wept.” John 11:35 )
Jesus’ tears were shed at a time when a friend lay dead, the family mourning. They questioned why Jesus hadn’t come and made Lazarus to recover from his illness. “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32) Jesus asked where they had put Lazarus’ body. “Come and see..” they replied. (v.34)…and they led Jesus to the place of their grief. They believed that he would ‘rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’(v.24) They were not hopeless in their grief. But hopeful grief is still grief, still bitterly painful.
So where is the place that holds your pain and grief? Where is it that you need to say to Jesus ‘Come and see..’? He has said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”(v.40)
You can’t call yourself out from behind that stone, but He can. And He IS calling you. But you have the option of staying behind the stone. Listen for Him…”Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened.”( Matt. 11:28)
