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 - July 5, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER A couple of weeks ago I shared about our church’s neighbor who was experiencing distress—his wife has been battling brain tumor, her daughter’s cancer diagnosis, and their financial hardship due to the pandemic. Days later one of you contacted Santy and offered to cook ...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 20, 2023
We are bracing for Hillary, tropical storms Hillary, that is. The first tropical storm in 84 years will pass through California, so I heard. The good news is that this storm that began as a hurricane in the South is supposed to have weakened by the time it reaches Los Angeles. Last week fire destroy...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - March 6, 2022
Dr. Will Durant, an American educator and philosopher who, with his wife, Ariel, wrote an 11-volume book, The Story of Civilization, was once asked to define happiness.  Before he came up with one, he had to look back on all the wrong places he went to search for happiness.  He admitted, ...
Read More