While Christmas celebrations and birthday parties sure are fun, the Bible tells us that visiting wakes and funerals are good things, too. In fact, Ecclesiastes 7:2 says it is "Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart." How could that be?
Here are some reasons why it's actually good to visit wakes and funerals.
1. It helps us count our days
Moses, the man of God, said in Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." When we realise how short our life here on earth is, we will also realise how important and precious every second and every minute is.
All of us want to relax, have fun, and maybe have a little more fun under the sun. However, what we don't realise is that our lives could very well be required of us any minute. We don't know how long we will live. And because of this, we would learn to treat each waking moment as another grace from the Lord whose mercies are renewed every morning.
2. It helps us realise the most important things in life
Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 says, "Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time."
A person's happiness, when caused by having so much fun at parties and other good times, is always muzzled when the reality of life kicks in. There is nothing fun when death arrives – everybody simply becomes sad.
Because of death, people are forced to think of their own lives. Many who don't believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have not repented of their sins will be eternally condemned in the fires of hell no matter how many parties they attend, even if these parties were held in church!
Friend, if you are a true Christ-follower who has been saved, you are assured of going to heaven. How about those you know who aren't saved yet? It's sad to think that you are going home to God while your friends aren't.
3. It gives us opportunities to comfort and serve as witness to those who are mourning
We find one of the greatest opportunities to share the truth about eternal life when we visit wakes and funerals. Death is but the passage from this life to the next, but others don't understand that. Some think that life ends in death. Others have weird beliefs about death. But we know that our decision to follow or not follow Christ in this life grants eternal consequences. Share it with friends during the time of their loss.
