Trading My Sorrows

The most important thing in my life besides my relationship with God is my relationship with my family and friends who have become my family. It is times like I've had the past week that you realize how much you need the support of these people. At my grandpa's funeral today when one person would break down and cry there would be one or two other people putting their arms around them and hugging them. I don't want to pack everything I want to say about my family and friends who have become family into this post.

I think my Grandpa had one of the coolest funerals I've seen. My Grandma asked the teen praise team (at least half of which is made up of her grandkids) to sing Trading My Sorrows. How many grandmas ask for an upbeat, contemporary, worship song to be sung at their husbands' funerals? It struck me several times how appropriate that song is at a funeral of a Christian man. That's exactly what my Grandpa did, he traded his sorrows, shame, pain, sickness for the joy of the Lord for eternity. It also speaks to those of us who are left behind. We might be saddened or maybe even a little discouraged, but those of us who have Jesus are not beaten. "I am pressed, but not crushed, persecuted not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed, I am blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure his joy's gonna be my strength. Though the sorrow may last for the night, joy comes with the morning" Also how awesome is it that we were playing an upbeat song, with electric guitars and drums? Us Christians sometimes forget that funerals are not just about grieving, though that is definitely a part of it, we as believers are celebrating on behalf of one of our brothers that has fought the good fight and endured. My Grandma is a wise lady.