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.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
(Ecclesiastes 7.2, 4)
Through my fifty-one years, I have been in the house of mourning a number of times. As a grandson, I have experienced the death of grandparents. As a son, I walked through the sadness of losing my father and mother. As a pastor, I have officiated the memorial services of still-born children, adults who have lived well into their nineties, and everything in between. I have seen death surprise families, and I have watched as the coldness of death slowly crept over families. For many deaths, I have been able to stand by the bedside of the dying, talking, praying, weeping, and rejoicing with them. At other deaths, I have witnessed people hopelessly wail at the loss of a loved one. I am privileged to have visited the house of mourning quite a bit through my years to lay to heart what is the end of every man.
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting a dying lady who is prepared to meet her Lord and Maker. She lives with her daughter and son-in-law. She has lived a full life. Her children and grandchildren love Jesus. She is at peace. Her slow but sure passing from this life is a joyful time for her and her family. No, they are not dancing. They hurt. But there is something that runs deeper than the hurt: there is a joy that springs from the hope that they have in Christ Jesus. She will die soon, but she will die having been recently surrounded by all of her children and grandchildren who share her hope. She will die well. She will die with joy.
While I was standing by her bedside praying with her, I must admit that I was overwhelmed with the beauty of it all, and I laid to heart, once again, my own end. I want to die well. When the day of my death draws close, if God grants me and my family the grace to know that it is coming, I want the fruit of my faithfulness to Christ to surround me with that sorrowful joy; that sorrow that my family and friends will truly miss my being with them, but the joyful hope that I am with Christ and will be reunited with them in the future. I want to die well.
The only way to die well is to live faithfully in the present. To live faithfully in the present, you must keep the end in mind. That is why it is wise to spend time in the house of mourning.
This is your end. What are you doing today to die well?
