
My brother shared this amusing picture with me of the hearse
towing a U-Haul trailer. I laughed, not so much because of all the potential
captions and stories that the image conjures up, but because it took me back
about twenty years in time when I had some of my most memorable “ministry”
experiences.
Already well into my thirties, I felt the call for some more
education which included some undergraduate studies as well as a theology
degree from a local seminary. While I studied a full-time course load, I also
worked full-time night shift and juggled family responsibilities of being a
husband and father. Apparently I still wasn’t busy enough, and so I also
volunteered at a small local church as an Associate Pastor with primary
responsibilities being the visitation of seniors and elderly, including several
shut in’s. Despite the hectic schedule, I loved those four years.
Now, you may be asking yourself, “What’s that got to do with a hearse towing a U-Haul trailer?” Good
question.
There was one dear elderly lady that I used to visit
regularly who couldn’t get out much. As I recall, one of her favourite topics
of discussion was how people, Christians included, seemed to be trapped in a
materialistic mindset. She would often say, seemingly unaware that she told me
the same story a hundred times before (sound familiar? –LOL), “You know, Reverend Roach, I ain’t never
seen no hearse pulling no U-Haul.” I would, of course, respectfully
acknowledge her statement, while deep inside be amused at how she would always
get my name wrong, and still insist on calling me a Reverend. I never did have
the heart to tell her that, though on more than one occasion I had been offered
ordination in the church, I always declined. But that’s story for another time.
But her point was taken; perhaps we do tend to cling to
material possessions and wealth a little tighter than we ought. And now, some
twenty years later as my wife and I begin to discuss the possibility of
downsizing and as we prepare for, Lord willing, semi-retirement, the picture of
the hearse towing the U-Haul trailer and the memory of that dear lady, reminds
us that we will not be leaving this world with fists clenched tightly around
our possessions, but rather with hands held wide open, leaving this world just
as we entered it; empty handed.
A few years later we moved away to answer the call to serve another church in another community. While I haven't heard to the contrary, I'm sure that based upon her age at the time, that dear lady has long since had her ride in a hearse. And I'm also certain, there was no U-Haul attached to it at the time.
It is interesting how, the older I get, the more faces and
names I recognize in the obituary columns. Many are even younger than I am now.
I don’t say this to be morbid, for as Paul said, “to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2
Corinthians 5:8). Personally, I look forward to that day; don’t you?
So I just want to take a moment and thank my brother for sharing
that picture and for reminding me of what’s really important in life as I too begin the process of loosening my grip on some stuff.
“I ain’t never seen no
hearse pulling no U-Haul,” said that dear old saint on my visitation
schedule. And if you ever do see one, don’t for a second think the deceased has
figured out some way of taking their stuff with them to the other side. It just
isn’t so, and it begs the question of how we ought to use our “stuff” this side
of the mortuary. Something to think about. Peace.
Photo Source: Unknown
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