Ecclesiastes 7:1-6 (Why Death is Better than Life)

A good name is better than fine perfume,
    and the day of death better than the day of birth.
² It is better to go to a house of mourning
    than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone;
    the living should take this to heart.
³ Frustration is better than laughter,
    because a sad face is good for the heart.
⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
⁵ It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person
    than to listen to the song of fools.
⁶ Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,
    so is the laughter of fools.
    This too is meaningless.

Now, if you're like me, you read that for the first time and thought, "WHAT?!"  You mean to tell me that death is better than birth, mourning is better than feasting, and frustration is better than laughter?  And then perhaps you thought, "Okay, Mr. Solomon," as you leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms, "I'm listening.  What could you possibly say to make that make sense?"

But, see, I get it.  And if you've suffered any kind of significant trial, perhaps you will, too.

As of this Saturday, my mom will have been in Heaven for four years.  Four. Whole. Years.  I truly can't believe that is the number, and I'm sure every year I will say it again, because I really didn't think I'd make it this long.  I thought I would have died of a broken heart by now.  

But I haven't.

In fact, my heart is much stronger now than it ever was before.

And that's Solomon's point.

For me, cancer and then the death of my mom is what finally put everything in perspective.  And I can say now, without a doubt, that our trials always have a purpose.  They ALWAYS have a very beneficial purpose.

Trials purify you.

Trials show you what you are, because whatever comes out of you when you're hit, that's what you really are.

Trials show you that you can't make it on your own.

Trials perfect you.

Trials make you pray.

Trials make you go to The Word.

Trials make you trust.

Trials make everything you heard in Sunday School become real.

Trials make you turn to Christ.

Trials show you who your truest of friends are.

Trials show you what really matters in life.  And it's not stuff.

Trials prove you -- whether you're a Christ-follower, or just like the idea of being one.

Trials humanize you and make you sensitive.

Trials make you sweeter and gentler.

Trials make you more like Jesus.

So don't think for a moment that your current trials have no purpose or are being inflicted upon you for no reason.  Because it's during the trials that you have a choice -- perhaps one of the biggest choices you will ever make -- are you going to keep holding on to Christ, or are you going to let go of Him and of all you've learned about who He is up to this point?  Are you going to trust that He's working something in you that's bigger than you ever thought, or are you going to walk away from the growth and maturity that He wants to produce in your life?

See, trials do good things in us.  Good things!  But the rub is that these are things we probably would never choose to experience on our own.  So, God has to lead us through some pretty dark waters, perhaps against our will, because He knows that trials are not always The Worst Thing.  Because He knows that trials will make us better than we ever were before.

Our loving God is not as committed to our short-term happiness as He is to our character.  And He knows that to make us better than we are today, we are going to have to walk through a few fires.  He doesn't desire our smiles and laughter as much as He desires our hearts and our devotion and our obedience and our trust.  And so how do we learn those things?

Trials.

If you want Christ, sometimes death is better than life.  Sometimes crying is better than laughing.  Sometimes losing your mom to cancer is better than anything that's ever happened to you before because the pain makes you real.  The pain will get your thinking straight.  The pain will bring you closer to God.  The pain will make you more like Jesus.

I miss my mom like crazy.  I would love nothing more than to have her walk up to me right this moment and tell me she's back.  But I know that the growth I've experienced in the past four years is something I would have never known if she were still here.  Because death brings life, and her death brought new life to my relationship with Jesus Christ and increased my trust in Him.

I know I will see her again, and she knows that, too.

And in the meantime, Lord, just keep strengthening my heart and my love for You.  Keep bringing me trials if that's what's gonna make me more like You.




Molly Monroe

And please tell her I love her.