Eccl 7:2 “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.”
In my Life Application Bible, it tells me it is better to spend your time at funerals than at a party. As I am aging, I am finding I am beginning to have to spend more time at funerals as those I love leave their earthly bodies. Solomon is not telling us going to a party is bad. In fact, he tells us to eat and drink and be merry. Next week I will be doing both. I will be attending two funerals and in between those funerals, I will take some time away in the mountains to eat, drink, and be merry. I also will be waiting for a phone call that my sister-in-law has lost a two year battle to cancer. Life is like that. We have messy and sad alongside joy and blessings. What I have learned is when I visit a house of mourning, there is so much we contemplate. It is a reminder that life is short, and we are one day closer to having our loved ones attending our end of life. It is in this time of mourning we take a long hard look at how we are living our lives. We take stock of our relationships with others and hopefully offer forgiveness to those who have hurt us. I have now visited many death beds including my daughter’s. I have witnessed miracles and even joy as one leaves their earthly body. My fear of death has left me. I do not know what the process of my death will be. I just know what ever that process is, the Lord will be walking through it with me. So next week, I will be visiting both houses and I will be thankful and blessed in both.
Lord, I pray for those who will have to visit a house of mourning. Lord, give them Your comfort and peace. May we each take stock of our lives and make the necessary changes to live a life for You. Then after, may we celebrate life and do what Solomon said, “Eat, drink, and be merry.” And thank the Lord for life and death where we will spend eternity with Him. It’s a win-win situation.
– Michele
