Not always easy
June 21, 2011 (Tuesday)
I will be on the road Tuesday and Wednesday. Kenneth Smith, son of lifelong friends, Maurice and Evelyn Smith, has died and his parents have asked me to conduct the funeral service for him in New Braunfels on Wednesday. Burial will take place in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio. Troy and Ruth Conner, also lifelong friends, will be singing and playing the piano at the service. Kenneth was 55, having celebrated his birthday just three days before his death. He had suffered severe health problems and was disabled for a number of years. As his mother said to me, his pain is gone and he is with the Great Physician now.
Just as “the rain falls on the just and the unjust,” so the varied experiences of life come to one and all in this earth. Being a Christian does not mean that I am exempt from the trials and tribulations of this earthly journey; it means that I can be prepared to meet whatever comes. The Lord has promised to be with us all the way. He has promised to comfort our hearts when we are distressed. We do not completely understand life’s experiences, but as the song says, “we will understand it better bye and bye.” Another old song reminds us, “Farther along we’ll know all about it. Farther along we’ll understand why.”
The Apostle Paul reminded us that being a Christian may actually bring more suffering into our lives, if by serving Him we meet opposition, such as he did, finally being executed for the “crime” of serving the Lord. He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20 NASB).
The Lord has promised to supply all our needs in this life, and a home in Heaven when we reach the end of the way. He told us: “Stop letting your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in me” (John 14:1).