Amazing sadness

This weekend I had an unfortunate and yet amazingly beautiful experience. What was this experience you may ask? The funeral of a child of two very dear friends of mine. I say child, but he was 32 years old - it doesn't make it any easier though. The next question you may be asking is how I could say it was an unfortunate and yet beautiful experience. Well my friends, this funeral was what funerals were meant to be. It was a time to acknowledge our deep sense of loss, a time to rejoice over the life that this man lived, and a time to acknowledge God's ultimate sovereignty over the situation. I didn't know the man who passed away, I'd never met him and yet I left feeling like he'd been a dear friend. We may have never bet, but nonetheless he was my brother...my brother through the blood of Christ. I rejoice because I know without a shadow of a doubt that he is experiencing glory far beyond my imagination as we speak. The funeral was such an inspiration, it inspired me to look into my own life and ask myself, "am I living in a way that's impacting people for my Savior?" The funeral inspired me to ask myself, "am I treating Jesus like he's my friend right now or is he just my acquaintance?" I think that these questions are questions that the deceased would have desired people be impacted by. Something else that I've really pondered since the funeral yesterday is how amazing it is that in the christian life the deepest of sorrow can coexist in your heart with the greatest of joy. I don't that's possible for anyone outside of the christian life. It would be so easy for bitterness to well up out of the entire experience but instead the Lord reassures me that this suffering has a purpose, it is making us more like Christ. Does it make the sting of the sorrow any less? No. I can't explain how it all works, but I continue to trust Christ and hope in eternity. This family will experience grief for the rest of their lives...I will experience grief for the rest of my life as I continue to miss my sister, but nonetheless, it doesn't shake my faith in my King. What a blessing to have a true Rock to stand as the waters of sorrow rise. Praise God for his gift of a Comforter.