October 4, 2020

The Shepherd's Corner

THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

On Saturday Santy and I attended the funeral service of Dr. Hadi Kusumo, a beloved of many and a blessing to many.  For three years he struggled; the last year had been especially difficult as he was confined to ICU bed with little contact to the outside world.  But, as testified not only by his family but also by his physician, Dr. Hadi remained strong and peaceful.  He never forgot to say thank you.

It is not hard to say thank you when life is good, when we receive what we asked for, and when we accomplished what we had set to do.  However, it is not easy to say thank you when life turns ugly, when we receive what we think we do not deserve, and when failure seems to be the norm, instead of the exception.  To be able to say thank you in times like these requires a clean heart.

A clean heart sees all but chooses to focus on the good, not the bad in people or in a situation.  A clean heart knows how unreliable people can be, but it chooses to trust, to give the benefit of the doubt.  Distrust and suspicion come much later.  A clean heart can be hurt but it chooses to forgive and to move on; it has no place for bitterness and revenge.  Dr. Hadi had a clean heart, therefore, he was always thankful; he was never spiteful or resentful.

In every funeral we usually have eulogy.  The word comes from two Greek words: eu which means good and logos which means word.  Eulogy is “good word” we say about somebody.  Interestingly the word “praise,” which we can find many in the Book of Ephesians, also comes from the same word, eulogy.  So, when we say, “praise be to God,” we actually say, “eulogy to God,” or good word to God.  At Hadi’s  funeral, we said good word about him, and we gave praise to God for him, a beloved of many and a blessing to many.

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

The Shepherd's Corner - March 6, 2016
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER Easter Time - The Soldiers So you got the worst assignment! You're a soldier. You want action. You want to fight, but you get to guard a tomb. Inside the tomb is a dead man - he's not going to fight much. His followers already scattered, but even if they gathered and [&hellip...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - January 05, 2025
On Sunday, January 29 God took a hero of mine, former president Jimmy Carter home.  He was 100.  Rosalynn, his beloved wife of 77 years, preceded him last year.  He served the presidency for only one term but served God and His work around the world his entire life.  Till well in...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - May 29, 2022
Evil is everywhere but few could even imagine that it would enter a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas, last Tuesday. And that evil took the lives of nineteen students and two teachers. It is hard to see the images of these children flashed on TV screen and to hear the crying of their parents, ...
Read More