A couple weeks ago I participated in a funeral – not as the man in the casket but as one of five pastors on the stage. This happened to be a very lively funeral with lots of singing, dancing, passionate preaching, and lots of great memories shared. Though a very somber time (it was a funeral), I couldn’t help but stifle a continuous giggle throughout the whole ordeal. And it was in the middle of this hour-and-a-half funeral that I felt God press a wonderful calling on my life.
I discovered that I am not called to be a funeral director. Thank you Jesus! What a blessing! I certainly have a heart for funeral directors – yes I do know a few – but the thought of being serious and walking about with a straight face all day would put me in a casket. I absolutely love to smile and laugh, and those who live within 2.6 miles can usually hear the exuberant guffaw.
Even for that one day, I found it hard to sequester the snicker. Before and after the service there were several times when I had to excuse myself to run to the bathroom and let a chuckle out, take a deep breath, and return composed and “serious.” Let me admit, my heart was deeply saddened for the friends and family but it seemed as if there were so many little funny things throughout the day I could hardly suppress a smile.
Needless to say, I made it through the day unscathed and I found that my face indeed can be serious for longer than a few moments. But it was a wonderful blessing to know that I am not called to be a funeral director – just the thought of which, for me, is something to laugh about.
Later that evening I was emailing a friend about how the service went and we both agreed that a lively, upbeat funeral is the way to go (like the service I participated in). I commented how I want no serious-sour faces at my funeral but have been thinking about issuing party hats to everyone upon arrival – how fun would that be!
What kind of funeral would you want? Why not comment about it below?
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NOTE: For those who are thinking that I am calloused and uncouth, this is not my normal behavior at a funeral and yes, I can be serious for more than a few minutes. However, the circumstances surrounding the funeral as well as the unconventional funeral service itself, to which I was not accustomed, caused a bit of blitheness.