Today will be one of those days . . . One of those days you carry with you your entire life.
Today we will bury Granddaddy, Dr. Edgar Arendall.
There is a wonderful paradox that all Christians know. It is the bittersweet sting of Christian loss. We feel sorrow’s pain, the weight of the immense void left when a great life is no longer. But . . . there is joy and hope. This tension is hallowed ground that belongs only to the Christian. There is no hope or joy in death for the unbeliever. It is only because of Christ and the life purchased by His sacrifice on the cross that we have such a hope.
So today, we will wear this tension. We’ll dedicate this day to saying “goodbye,” along with many others, to a great man. (To read my post on Granddaddy’s life click here, or see below.)
I’ve always been a fan of Spurgeon. He had this to say about death:
The best moment of a Christian’s life is his last one, because it is the one that is nearest heaven. And then it is that he begins to strike the keynote of the song which he shall sing to all eternity.
But Paul most certainly says it best in Philippians 1:21:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
For Granddaddy, both parts of Paul’s statement were equally true.
Filed under: Reflections, family | Tagged: Christian death, Dr. Edgar Arendall, Dr. Edgar M. Arendall, Edgar Arendall, edgar arendall obituary, Edgar M. Arendall, hope, joy, loss
I’m so sorry for your loss brother.
I will lift you and your family up in my prayers.
If you need anything (or even just to talk to someone) please know that you can reach out to me.
May God Bless you and keep you in His arms.
Thanks, Joe. Mighty kind of you! I’m blessed with an amazing support network, but I dearly appreciate your offer of support.
Keep up the great work, buddy.
Andy,
You don’t know me, but I am a member at Dawson. Your Granddaddy was my pastor when I first married and came to Birmingham. He leaves behind a great legacy through the people he ministered to and touched along the way.
Singing in the choir at the memorial service yesterday was such an honor.
We will miss him! Our loving God will wrap His loving arms around you as you grieve your great loss.
Debbie Wootan
Debbie, thank you for the kind words.
The entire family was very, very moved by the choir’s performance. You all did such an amazing job . . . a beautiful send off for a special man.
Thank you for your role in a special time of remembering Granddaddy.
Hey Andy I remember when my brother John passed a few years ago. He had ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and after 7 years it took his life. He praised God every day, even when he could not speak His name. His funeral for me was hard, as I’m sure it is for your family, but I rejoiced because I know John is healed and in the presence of God bowing in worship as he did the entire time of the disease. Our family didn’t understand and my prayer is that through the memory of his life they will seek Christ.
You know what amazed me the most? The last words he ever said to me. It took me near an hour to understand the four words he was trying to say but tried he did to get them out. “I’ll pray for you.”
During this time of grief and celebration I’ll be praying for you and your family. From the comments and your post I would say your granddaddy was like David, a man after God’s heart.
God bless dude.
Hey, Dan.
Thanks for checking in. I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my brother, too, and while I could never imagine your pain, I know it’s a tough, tough thing to go through. I found myself saying again this week how difficult it is for me to imagine dealing with loss without faith. It sounds like your grief has been a healthy one, no doubt made possible by your strong faith.
Thanks for the encouragement. Keep up the great work. Blessings for your ministry.