A Celebration of Life

This morning I experienced a wonderful hug of the heart. I attended a celebration of the life of David Robbins, the husband of my friend, Nancy, who I used to work with at M. D. Anderson. The service was full of joy and happiness. The reverend, James Tucker, began the service by quoting Karl Rahner, a Jesuit priest, who wrote that although we have no examples of Jesus laughing in scripture, He surely must have laughed, referencing His love of children and His performance of miracles. Can't you imagine Him laughing with the children and laughing in delight at the reactions of those who witnessed His miracles?

The reverend began the service this way because he said that David had a wonderful sense of humor and could bring joy and laughter to those around Him in almost any situation, even when his own heart was breaking. It reminded me of my grandmother who had that same great gift of making everyone smile, no matter what pain she might be experiencing. Oh that I would bring smiles and laughter and joy to those around me no matter my situation.

Just as Karl Rahner thought about Jesus laughing, I have often thought of Jesus hugging. One time in college I was preparing to lead a devotional and decided I wanted the topic to be hugs. However, as you probably know, I couldn't find one mention of a hug in the Bible. But Jesus must surely have loved hugging! A hug seems to me to be one of the best ways to express to someone that I hold them dear to my heart. Isn't that what Jesus's life, death, and resurrection was all about? Showing us all how dear we are to Him?

I'm thankful that I was able to celebrate David's life today and think about how I want to help others celebrate everyday.