Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
Reflection:
It is good to enter the house of mourning. This may be a very foreign idea to people who live in an entertainment-based culture that preaches a message that you should always be and feel happy. It is strange for you to always be and feel happy in this life. People are dying. It is good to enter the house of mourning and lay to heart the truth that death is the end of all mankind. For the Christian, affirming this basic truth actually brings wisdom and gladness to the heart. If you are not a Christian then, while I understand your desire to try to ignore death and what will follow, it is still most wise for you to come to grips with this basic truth that death comes to all. Facing that truth may be the key to shaking you out of your godless slumber so that you arise and follow the Lord. But for the Christian, contemplating the end of all humanity brings wisdom and gladness. Your struggle is not eternal, but your life in Christ is. Death is but entrance into everlasting life. To live is Christ, but to die is gain. The proper Christian response to death is not to ignore it, cover it up, or put on a false face of shallow happiness. The proper Christian response to death is to enter into the house or mourning so that your heart might gain true gladness and wisdom.
In Christ,
Pastor Yonkman