Unfortunately, in the past few years, I have experienced a lot more loss in my family than I expected.  Those we love pass away.  It is a part of life.  When they do, all their loved ones gather together to honor their life with a memorial service.  A combination of joy and sadness washes over our hearts when we remember the good times, but see that there will be no more memories to come.

But, why?  Why do we wait to memorialize what is important to us?  Loss should not be our reminder of what we love most, life should the hallmark of thankfulness and memories.

Let me remind you of something that you should never forget.  The ultimate sacrifice, life, was given to us by God’s son, Jesus.  He died for our sin, for our mistakes, for our pain, so that we could be restored and live for eternity in heaven.  But a traditional memorial service would never work… because He didn’t stay dead.  This is why we need to live our lives in the ecstasy of His love instead of the pain of loss.  Why live like we have lost something, when Jesus is offering us everything?  He gave it all so we could have it all, eternity in heaven with God.  Don’t wait for loss to remember what is important.  Remember that death is only temporary when Jesus gets involved.