lost.

I sat at a memorial service Monday night for the father of one of my friends. Though I didn’t know him well, from what I heard of him, he was a great man; and from what I know of his sons, he passed it on. Everyone spoke of this man’s love for his family, for his friends, for the lost and for his passions. The only thing he loved more than those things was God. His faith in and love for Christ set him free to build strong relationships, pour into people and follow his many passions. His family was horribly sad, as anyone would be in their situation. I cried for the hurt they must be feeling, for the frustration of not being able to fix it and, I cried for my family. The man for whom I attended the memorial service was a believer and his family is comforted in knowing that he is now experiencing God as they mourn. I am happy they are able to rejoice during such a painful time.

I know there is no way to tell if one person is saved and another is not. I understand some of my family members may have experienced the Lord and understood, some may not have any interest in knowing Christ, or some may come to Him with time. Despite all these options, the urgency I felt at the memorial service smacked me in the face. Death could be a much closer reality for me and everyone else in my family, no matter how much I try to ignore the possibility. It breaks my heart to know that if death came to someone in my family today, we may not have the comfort in knowing that the person we lost was a believer. And, maybe for people who don’t know Christ, it’s not a big deal; but for me, I honestly don’t know how I will be ok with that.