....and Funerals

Now talking about funerals, my 2nd bro in law went home to the Lord last week, after a 3 yr battle with lung cancer. Like my husband it was only during the last days of his life on earth that he came to know Jesus. I rmbr sharing with him the story of how God came into our lives during Chinese New Year when i was back in Alor Star a year ago. He never said much then, and i left it at that, tho i never stopped praying God would touch his heart. Well, it looks like God did, for suddenly out of the blue, March this year, he announced he wanted to be baptised. And so he was. My sis called for the pastor the nite before he passed away; and after being prayed over, he never regained consciousness; so peaceful was his passing.

I had journeyed back with some misgivings in my heart; for my sis' family relationship had been somewhat strained betw her and the daughter-in-law. (the only Christian amongst them) Things had gotten to such a stage, she had in a fit of anger disowned her only son who sided with the wife. I was wondering if World War 3 would break out at the funeral, but thank God He heard and answered my prayer for peace to prevail; i was shuttling to and fro betw the parties trying to reconcile them, to forgive harsh words spoken in anger , irrespective of who is right or wrong ; just as God forgives us who have all sinned against Him ; who are we not to forgive those who sin against us...

And i fell back to thinking how true wat the Bible says about the human tongue - it is a fire, a world of evil amongst the parts of the body. Such a small little organ, yet so lethal is its effect. How many times have we spoken out w/out thinking and lived to regret our words? Once released out of our mouths, nothing can be taken back. We could say sorry, we could whack ourselves on the head 1000 times for being rash, we could cry our hearts out; but we could never remove the sting of words. The worse part is if we allow the sting to fester, it becomes toxic poison in our system, building up hate, resentment, bitterness, pride and a critical spirit which only serves to destroy the peace and love which should attend our relationship with others.

I used to think i was entitled to say anything and everything if i was right. (and even if i was wrong, i would say it anyway, becoz i figured that's my right to my own opinion). Well, i m discovering my perspective is not the criteria in determining right or wrong. So before i open my big mouth, i bite my tongue and ask in my heart, God, what's Your take on this? Isn't it true that only God's right is right? I mean, my right could be very wrong to you, and vice versa. If the world was to be governed by every individual's idea of right or wrong, it would be even more messed up than it already is! But hai, we human beings can be so self-deceived; in the name of independence, liberty and tolerance, we tink its ok to just live and let live, hoping to preserve the peace. But that kind of peace is a delusion really; it merely sweeps everything under the carpet of pretence that each of us can live as we like with our own standards of morality and ethics.
At the end of the day, there is only 1 standard against which we are judged; and that is no man's standard, but the standard of a 100% holy, 100% just God. Before that absolute standard, we all fail, some more miserably than others, but all fail, becoz none of us are perfect; God knows all have sinned, that's why He sent us a Savior, coz He knows we can't rescue ourselves, no matter how much good we do or attempt to do. The rights could never cancel out the wrongs... when we come to realise that truth, that's when our heart will finally acknowledge the need for a Savior....
Thank God He has already anticipated that need, and answered it by giving us Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life; if only all would believe this.