This week, the family laid Ray Grimes to rest in the Fort Smith National Cemetery after an honoring memorial service. You can read his obituary here.
You can’t really put a person’s life in a few words or wrap up a full life in a few thoughts. Yet these times of honoring the departed seem to call for that or be given to it. It’s a time to ponder the meaning of life, and reflect on the life we are assembled to celebrate and honor.
Time and tradition has brought us to recall the seemingly-most-important facts about a person’s life. Seventy-nine years old. Married forty-six years. Raised two boys to successful adulthood. The description of family members and friends remaining. Those facts do say a lot, and perhaps the most about a man.
But it seems there is a lot more that isn’t said. And we’re left to ponder that for ourselves.
The Bible gives us hints of how our Creator God sees life and death. In Job we’re told, “Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old” (Job 12:12). Solomon tells us, “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1) He also tells us it’s better to go into the house of morning than the house of feasting” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). One can assume this is to consider our days and consider our lives while we have breath.
God honors a long life lived on the earth. He honors faithfulness. He honors those who honor Him. He knows life is a beautiful gift to be lived. And He knows it’s hard at times with warfare involved. He sees it all. May we come to see things like He sees them and live in this light.
Then the Bible tells us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His godly ones” (Psalm 116:15). And way back at the beginning of the Bible, God tells us, “Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).
Three Songs
Ray’s sons, one of whom is my son-in-law, wanted three songs played by his favorite artists that were their dad’s favorites. They bundled some family photos with them. In retrospect, they tell us a lot about Ray’s life and any life — three of the most important things in life.
First was A Father’s Love, which speaks to our heavenly Father’s love also. Then Me Without You, which speaks to the importance, even preeminence, of relationships in our earth journey. Lastly, Amazing Grace tells the most important part of the story on earth and in eternity — God’s presence with His people. Rest in peace, Ray Grimes.
