Connected in Death

"When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are. It means that you can summon me back to your mind even though countless years and miles may stand between us... It means that even after I die, you can still see my face and hear my voice and speak to me in your heart." ~Frederick Buechner

This quote was read to a group of us one evening as all present remembered loved ones who died. Some shared, some stayed very quiet and just listened. Perhaps they were too emotional to share. Maybe they, like me, found bitter sweet comfort in knowing they were not alone in dealing with such pain. I have never seen such a picture of grace as I looked around the room at the men and women who suffered the loss of their spouse. Such diversity and yet we all shared something. Death connected us to each other.

What a way to get to know someone! I heard someone describe our group as the club nobody wants to belong to. Because of the deep connection we had with each other, though we've only met a couple times, we knew each other in a way most other people couldn't fully understand. Our "club" brings comfort and unity to each other. We, all at our weakest, can come alone side one another and share our heavy loads. Is this starting to sound a little like the church body? It's true we all belong to the sinners club as hard as that is to admit for some of us. We are all failures, and isn't that a huge comfort?

Are you starting to see another picture painted in the midst of this quote by Frederick Buechner? It's the picture of Jesus Christ who came and lived with us, taught us, healed us, corrected us, suffered and died for us. God sent His perfect and blameless Son to show us the way we should go and to pay the price for our sins, all for the love of us! Now we, as His followers, are all connected to Him through His death and resurrection. He left a mark of who He was on Who we are meant to be. We have the ability, through His Word, to summon Him back to our mind even though countless years and miles stand between us. It means that even though He is no longer physically visible to us we can still see His face and hear His voice and speak to Him in our hearts.

When we remember our loved ones who have died we bring them into a deeper part of who we are. We can see things through different lenses and are able to distinguish to a greater extent the truly important things in life. So it is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can bring Him into a deeper part of who we are by living by His Words. We are but a vapor, here today and gone tomorrow! We will all face death one day and we will do it alone! We wont have our family and friends with us when we stand in front of our Creator to give an account of what we did with the lives He chose to give us. What will the lives we lived here on earth tell Him about us? Will we be strong and courageous in His eyes as we faced various trials throughout the course of our lives? Will we be told, "Well done good and faithful servant," or will we look away in shame at how we choose to spend our time?

We are all so fearfully and wonderfully made. We are so fragile and weak but have the ability to be so strong and courageous. We need each other, there is strength in numbers. "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." – Hebrews 10:24-25   Every single one of us has the power to decide to crumble and fall apart or to hold onto hope and walk on continuing to fight. But you don't have to fight alone!!! What we decide will be clearly seen by everyone around us. Though our loved ones have past, they are not fully gone, though they are no longer physically visible, they are fully visible through how we live and walk this journey called life.