Jump Start # 3598
Psalms 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”
I saw him at a funeral. I’ve known him for decades but haven’t spent much time with him in recent years. I asked if I could sit beside him during the service. What a delight that was for me. Decades ago I preformed the wedding for his son. Now, high in his 80s, this aged saint of God, talked and talked. He talked about recent health issues he had. He talked his children and grandchildren. He told me that he was still preaching out in small country congregations. He was feeble, hard of hearing and needed a cane, but that ole’ sparkle in his eyes was still there. How he loved the Lord and his people. He told me about preaching two lessons about angels. I asked him about the history of some churches in the area.
As the funeral ended, I helped him up and as we got to the door, I waved a pleasant good-bye to him. On the way back home, I kept thinking about him. Outside a small circle in Southern Indiana, most have never heard of him. But the good he has done is amazing and lasting. And, what really caught my attention was his cheerful manner and spirit about him. I’ve known many, many aged saints, and so few are like this one. Many see the current state of the church as a wreck and all they long for are the old days, when things were different. Others only complain. Their aches and pains have ruined their attitude and it seems that their goal in life is to rain upon everyone else and to make all feel miserable.
I thought, I sure hope I can be like that if I make it to that age. I don’t want people to see me coming and walk away because of a negative and grumpy spirit. Some seem to think that with age comes the right to complain. I haven’t found that memo or passage that states that.
Why is it that some are so pleasant and a joy in life and others are going to leave this world miserable and grumpy?
Here’s what I found:
First, it’s not what has happened to a person in life. You live long enough and all of us have horror stories, scary nights and the scars of long ago wounds. People have disappointed us. Brethren have let us down. There have been long nights sitting in hospitals and as we were together the other day, gatherings at the funeral home. Few, if any, have escaped those things. So, being joyful or being a grump isn’t based upon what has happened to you. We all walk a similar path through life.
Second, one’s faith in the Lord makes all the difference. The brother I sat beside during the funeral had a great faith. The majority of our conversation was about preaching, churches and how blessed we are in the Lord. He smiled often. He loved preaching. And, it’s that faith that puts a smile on your face and upon your heart. Being joyful or being a pill is a matter of choice. One isn’t that way just because. They are that way because they chose to be that way.
I’ve seen that choice before. I recognize it. Decades ago, while living in another city, I often when to visit one of the older members. Her medical charts must have been as thick as an old phone book. She had everything wrong with her. I wondered what even worked anymore. But to visit her, she was so cheerful, kind and thankful. Years later, I have wondered if I went for her good or my good.
You can choose to be cheerful or you can choose to be miserable.
Third, you can be the reason someone smiles. That’s the way our fellowship ought to be. Walking into the church building ought not be the same experience and emotions as walking into a surgery center. Love. Acceptance. Joy. Smiles. These ought to be the norm. I expect one of the great reasons why some walk away from a congregation is not because of the way the Lord treated them. No. Much too often, it’s the way the dysfunctional family of Christ treated them. Ignored. Judged. Whispers. Blame. Bullied. It doesn’t take much of that and a person is done. They leave and will never come back. But, what a contrast it is to walk in on Sunday morning and eyes light up and big smiles spread across faces. The warmth, trust and acceptance is beyond description. There is a bond that ties our hearts together.
An old Christian at a funeral home. He was likely the oldest person in that room. He’s rounding third base and is almost home, but you’d never know it from the way he smiled, talked and the twinkle in his eyes. The preacher conducting the funeral gave us a great lesson. But, for me, the best lesson was sitting right beside me.
Enjoy the life the Lord has taken you on. Be a blessing. Be the reason someone smiles.
Roger