Table Talk

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Psalm 116:15, KJV

Many times when we are sitting at our kitchen table, we enjoy drawing simple questions from a cute container to spark conversation and help us get to know family members or guests better.

I loved doing this when our daughter was young, hearing her form her first words, then phrases, then complete sentences. As any parent can attest, kids really do come up with unexpected observations. I’ll never forget when Kali was five and drew this question from the box: “What are your favorite things to do?” Without hesitating she replied, “Busch Gardens, picnics, and burying people.”

Her answer made Mark and me burst out laughing, which was a welcome relief at that moment. We were still grieving over the homegoing of Grandmommy Newlen, Mark’s grandmother, from just a week before. She was a saint in Christ, so we knew we’d see her again on those heavenly streets of gold; death had taken her from this earth, but we would reunite again in the future.

That’s why Kali added “burying people” to her list of favorite fun things. We had celebrated Grandmommy Newlen with other believing family members, music, flowers, food, and laughter mixed with tears—remembering her. We were thankful that she was in God’s presence. It seemed like one big party to Kali, which I am grateful for.

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, “I am a saint”? If we have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are saints who are precious in God’s sight!

Rejoice today if you are in Christ. There is no way to lose that precious gift. Ask God to comfort you with this truth when you grieve. And if you haven’t done it already, write down how you came to faith so your family will know and can keep sharing your story.