Almost two weeks ago our church lost a very special woman. Our pastor’s wife passed away in her sleep. It was a shock to all of us. There were no apparent underlying health issues or warnings, and everything seemed fine from the outside.
Her death has been very hard for all of us. My husband and I have not only been dealing with our own grief, but we carry the grief of our pastor and his family and the grief of our church. It’s a lot to bear.
Since her passing, though, life has started to feel more meaningful and more trivial altogether. Sobering events like these often cause us to stop and think about life - what it really means, what our lives entail, and how we can live better.
I am reminded of the beauty of life and how precious time is, understanding that life is fragile, and we never know when God will call us home.
I am appreciating my family afresh. I feel blessed that I am married to a good man and have four, wonderful children. I am holding my children a bit closer and trying to make time and room for them in my day. The other day I held off going into the grocery store with my five year old for a few minutes so she could tell me a story that she made up about her mom and dad, her love for us, and how she will explore the world and its sea creatures when she is older. ~smile~
I am appreciating my church afresh. It has been amazing to watch our church come together as the Body of Christ. The outpouring of love from people’s hearts and hands has been absolutely wonderful. I feel so thankful to be a part of this extended family.
I am challenged to live better. My pastor’s wife was an amazing woman. She left a godly legacy behind her. She was a worshipful, tender, compassionate, respectful, classy, family-loving woman. As said at her funeral, there were no regrets here. She lived a great life and gave it her all. I desire to do the same.
I desire to keep things in proper perspective, allowing more things to become trivial. The day I found out about my pastor’s wife death was also the day when my five year old threw up in the car, and my dog got skunked! I was feeling a bit annoyed by these inconveniences when I felt sobered… Something much greater had happened that day. We had lost a precious woman, and hearts were left hurting tremendously. Lord, help me to live my life with better perspective and to bear up under the weights and pressures of life!
The daily grind keeps all of us busy, but may we never forget the importance of life – the gift that it is and the value of the people
and experiences around us.
May we also never forget how trivial
some things really are or should be.
Help us, Lord, to keep things in proper perspective.