Worship Life

Heart - Soul - Mind

  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Events
    • WorshipLife 2020
    • TRIBE
    • Kempke
  • About Us
You are here: Home / Mike Harland / Weddings, Baby Showers, and Funerals – By Mike Harland

Weddings, Baby Showers, and Funerals – By Mike Harland

October 3, 2016 Leave a Comment

weddings-baby-showers-and-funerals-by-mike-harland

This year has been something else. In the last few months, my wife and I have said goodbye to a number of friends in ministry – people I would call “fox-hole friends.”

The other day, we were talking about it and realized that our lives have gone from weddings to baby showers to funerals. Now, that’s not to be morbid – it’s a quite natural progression that all of us take.

These experiences help me realize there is one emotion common at all three – joy.

Sure there is sadness. At the weddings, the sadness is about a son or daughter moving off to get married with a tinge of missing those growing up years.  And, at the baby showers, you can see sadness from individual stories of childlessness or tragedy.  And, of course, the funerals are packed with sadness because of the finality of death and the separation – though temporary – that it brings.

But there is joy. And over this year, I’ve come to realize that joy is strongest when the hurt is deepest.

Enjoy the weddings and baby showers. They are a wonderful part of growing up as friends and family get married and start their own families. The relationships formed during these years will bring joy for the rest of your lives.

But live your life in preparation for the funerals. Keep your accounts current. Live with eternity in view. Understand how temporary it all is and try to gauge just how quickly it all is passing by.

The years fly by as the hours drag on.

Joy will be found in the places where hope is all we have.


Mike HarlandMike Harland is the Director of Lifeway Worship. When he’s not directing 30+ employees, you’ll find him leading worship at various churches around the country, writing/arranging worship songs and/or, writing his next book. In his spare time, he loves playing basketball and spending time with his family. Mike can be found on Twitter @MikeHarlandLW and on facebook.com/Mike.Harland.37.

 

Tweet
PinIt

Filed Under: Mike Harland, Words Tagged With: Baby Showers, Funerals, Mike Harland, Mondays with Mike, Weddings

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Categories

  • A View From the Pew
  • Children's Choir
  • Choir Members
  • Chord Chart
  • Church Life
  • Church Members
  • Church Supplies
  • Contest
  • Devotion
  • Diversion
  • Geek Stuff
  • Giveaways
  • Guest Writer
  • Humor/Funniness
  • Instruction
  • Lead Sheet
  • Lead Sheet PLUS
  • LifeWay Worship Department
  • LifeWay Worship Project
  • LifeWay Worship Project in the News
  • Mike Harland
  • Missions
  • Music Business
  • Music Ministers/Worship Pastors
  • New Releases
  • Orchestra Leaders
  • Pastors
  • Podcasts
  • Praise Bands
  • Producer Profiles
  • Producers/Publishers
  • SBC
  • Site Feature
  • Song Feature
  • SongMap
  • Sound Check
  • Technology
  • Training
  • Uncategorized
  • video
  • Words
  • Worship Leaders
  • Worship Life Anthems
  • Worship Talk on the Web
  • WorshipLife Event
  • WorshipLife LIVE
  • Writers/Arrangers
  • Youth/Student Choirs

Socialize With Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Looking for Choral Music?
Looking for Congregational Music?
Copyright © 2021 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved