Recently I was invited to speak at the funeral of someone with whom, as a pastor, I had been acquainted only on a professional level. I was self-consciously aware that many of those attending the memorial service were much closer to her than I had ever been. Memorial services are always difficult and must be carefully navigated to insure that the words being spoken honor the deceased while remaining completely sincere. The one being eulogized was, by anyone’s perspective, a unique personality. She was quirky, yet loveable; unique and engaging. My personal experiences with her ranged from charming to disorienting.
It was a difficult decision: Would I speak honestly about the things that set her apart from everyone else—those things that made her uniquely who she was—or would I speak safely about generic characteristics we all shared?
I took a chance and decided to speak about those things that made her unique. With lots of prayer and a little humor, I spoke boldly of her unforgettable characteristics to the delighted response of everyone present. When I spoke of her kind-hearted but atypical approach to problem solving and her unique perspective on life, laughter peeled like a bell of freedom through the auditorium. I was grateful and relieved, as I nervously stole a glance toward the family and saw her husband and their children slapping their knees in laughter; echoing their endorsement.
Something spiritual happened in the midst of the laughter and tears of that memorial service. We drew closer to the realization that the very things which frustrate us about our friends are often the things that make them unique… make them memorable. In that memorial service, we seemed to agree that her quirks and idiosyncrasies had been God-given strokes of color on our otherwise plain canvas of life.
The Bible tells us we are “uniquely and wonderfully made” by the Lord. He loves us not in spite of our idiosyncrasies… but because of them.
“You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.”
Psalm 139:15 (The Message)
Lord, You know me, yet You love and accept me! Thank You, Lord, for accepting me for who I am in You. May I return that same grace to others. Amen.