There was great respect shown, and the reverence was powerful. I was struck by the sadness in the face of the chaplain, our friend, who prayed and spoke. He is the chaplain over the trainees. He spoke with us before the service and said that it had been about 10 years since a soldier had died in the barracks. The army did not give out any details, but we learned from the soldiers who knew him that it was most likely a drug overdose that ended his life. He had been having that problem for a while recently.
Some of his words:
The chaplain spoke of having faith in "the seasons of life", and holding on to memories. He said, "Fear God and keep his commandments and He will plant "eternity" in our hearts....Hope is never far away. He (the soldier) is beyond our reach. Grief interrupts our lives and dreams and we are reminded how brief life is. What is life?- a vapor which appears, then disappears"."
I couldn't help but feel very sorry for the family of that soldier. I heard nothing in the talks which gave hope and joy through the Atonement and Resurrection. I heard no references to the Savior and the comfort of the Holy Ghost. I wanted to hear about the love our Father in Heaven has for that soldier and his family. I knew it was true, but that family needed to hear it.
I was reminded that those of us who grow up with the Gospel in our lives don't realize how little the world understands. Oh how I wish they could have given hope to that family. I pray that the Holy Ghost will comfort them, beyond what they understand. I realize how much the world needs the whole truth of the Gospel and the hope and joy they can have from knowing that God has a plan for us for Eternity - not just here in this life.
I recently read this quote from Sheri Dew, "Although there are many things about this life that I do not understand, there are some truths about which I no longer have any doubt."
I'm so glad I know that my Father in Heaven is real and that He loves me.
What a sad event. Even though it is hard to go through events like that where we wish we could share more of our Heavenly Father's love with his children, it's also a great teaching tool for us to learn how others view this world in order for us to help them at other moments. We also pray for Heavenly Father to bless his family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI know that you can't proselyte, but is there any way you could offer a letter of comfort to the family? Offer some of the sentiments that were missing from the service? I'm sorry for that family, and for those who are missing their friend.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting and sad that, if you were to ask the chaplain about his thoughts of the afterlife, he would probably tell you there is a heaven and a hell and God and what not, but he clearly doesn't think about it. To me, it's the obvious thing for a chaplain to talk about at a funeral. So glad my parents taught me how to see more.
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible. We had a couple memorial services on the ship due to some guys being on assignment in Afghanistan and being killed while away from the ship. I decided that I didn't like going to the funeral services outside the church. It's too sad.
ReplyDeleteClark