A few weeks ago I wrote a post called Biffed it. After I wrote that I started thinking about something that happened to me just over a year. Here’s how it went down…..
“A memorial service? Sure I’ll do it.” Those were the seven words I chose that got me into the situation that I’ll never forget as long as I live. As a worship leader I’d done a few memorial services already so it shouldn’t be that big a deal, right? So I talk to the family and they let me know what songs they want me to do for the service: Amazing grace and Because He lives. Those are great songs that I know so they should be a breeze.
Fast forward to the service……. Amazing Grace is first….. It went great. It sounded good, no mistakes, worship leading perfection, if I was writing a book on how to play songs at a memorial service that would be a textbook example.
The service went on. Everything was awesome. The lady for whom the memoral service was for was an amazing Christian lady who loved God with all of her heart. She was amazing mom and a devoted wife. Pastor Fred gave one of the best messages that I’d ever heard at a memorial service. I remember being moved to tears a few times in that service.
Then…… it happened. Fred ended his message and he called me up. The family wanted to end off the memorial service with the song Because He lives… and well…… Here’s how that went down….(for you RSS’ers theres an audio clip here… just so you know)…….
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Talk about Biffing it. Funny huh? I found that clip last friday and listened to it a few times. The first time I totally relived that whole thing over again. Every feeling, every emotion. I can’t even tell you how I felt that day. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry….stay or run away. Can you imagine being in that situation? I tell you, I don’t wish that on anyone.
I don’t know why but I decided to listen to a few more times. Each time I listened to it it got funnier and funnier. Slowly the emotions that hurt so much were replaced by smiles and laughter. By the fourth time I listened to it I was seriously laughing so hard that people would have thought I was nuts.
I came to realize that its going to take me a long time to get passed the events of that day but that God had already taken that one event in my life and used to mold me and shape me. I don’t know if I needed to humbled that day but I can tell you without a doubt that I was.
As you can imagine, that whole thing still comes up alot. It’s been over a year since then and I’m still dealing with it. There are countless jokes about it from my friends, frequent references to it when putting together worship sets , and not to mention me joking around about it… but I’m allowed. I also haven’t done a memorial service since that day. I’ve been asked but to be honest I’m scared to do it. One day day though I’ll be past this enough to be able to do one again.
I’m totally just typing now so I’ll go ahead and end there. Remember there are things that God puts in our lives that allow Him to take us and mold us into the person that He wants us to be. It’s taken me a while to say this but Thank You Lord for that day.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know who holds the future
My life is worth the living just because He lives
- Victor
What You Are Saying…