Dealing with Death

I have just ministered at my fifth funeral of the year. Last year I did close to twenty funerals. Funerals drain me. They take alot out of me. It is difficult as a Pastor to hold the grief of a family, community on your shoulder. To make matters worse, after losing someone close to you (in my case my Grandfather), every funeral and the preparation up to it(visiting the family, securing arrangements, etc) is going through the grieving process all over again. Death is inevitable. We have to deal with the reality of it, but it is never easy. No one wants to ever truly say good bye. Many times, funerals are filled with empty phrases that are meant to comfort, but as well intentioned they might be, still makes one feel numb and hurt. I approach grief and funerals by trying to apply the love of God in our worst and painful moments. God is a great big God, who not only can handle our questions, but also our tears. Pain is part of the process and it just as real as joy is. God does not remove the pain, but God allows His love to be present and lessen the sting of it. I still think about my lost loved ones and yearn for them greatly, but I have tried to allow God's Love to immerse me and saturate me so that even in those moments, God's Love reminds me that He is still there. As a believer, Death is our transition to being with God. The truth of the matter, Death is what takes us closer to God. Jesus' death and resurrection took the sting from Death and the victory from the Grave. Death is never easy, but our God is bigger than death.