Old Wounds; New Insights

I did a funeral last Sunday for a four week old baby. Funerals for children have always been difficult for me, but this one was particularly hard. The death of this child opened some of my old wounds. Karen and I lost our first child, Tara Michelle. Tara was born on Mother’s Day in 1980 and died two days later. When I drove up to the gravesite Sunday and saw the tiny, white casket my mind, heart and emotions took a trip back in time.

The death of this child reminded me of how helpless we feel when someone we love and care about is dying. In Tara’s case, we tried everything. She was transferred to a hospital with the finest neonatal unit around, but in the end there was little we could do but pray.

This child’s death highlighted once again for me my own limitations as a minister. Nothing I could say would be able to heal the hurt or take away the pain I knew this young couple felt.

Life is a gift. The value of one’s life cannot be measured by the number of days a person lives. The Old Testament character Methuselah lived 969 years, but the Scriptures record nothing of his accomplishments. It saddens me to see people who often live long lives, but in the end little can be said of the contributions they made.

I overheard a conversation a few mornings ago at Bojangles. Two older men, well into their 80’s, were talking over their morning coffee. One made the remark that he was selling all of his hunting and fishing gear. I gathered from the conversation that he had been an avid outdoorsman and owned quite a bit of gear. The old gentleman went on to say that he no longer had the energy to hunt or fish and he had no sons or grandsons to pass it on to, so he thought the best thing to do was to sell it all. Too often we simply spend our lives collecting things which matter little in the end.

Tara only lived forty-eight hours, but she was loved. In the end her lived counted; she made a contribution. I have shared her story in countless sermons and with numerous people through the years who have found themselves struggling with life’s tough questions. In the end, I don’t think it’s what you’ve collected that counts; I think it’s what you’ve contributed that really makes a difference. The words of Jesus really do ring true: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. . .”

Blessings
Jimmy