Today I went to the viewing of Madeline Dalton (my preacher's wife) and I noticed something profound. While people were grieving over the loss of her, they weren't crying uncontrollably or wailing, they all had a calm about them. They were all filled with love for her and her family, and more importantly, they all knew exactly where her soul has gone. To spend eternity with the Lord her God and Creator. It really brought a sense of joy to me, certainly not at her passing, but about her homecoming.
I've had the privilege of going to a few funerals, viewings, and memorial services of some of my fellow Christians and I've noticed that calm and joy at every one of them. When you don't have any doubt about where your loved one will spend eternity it has to give you a great peace. At the same time, I've been to a few services for non-Christians where there has been a lot of wailing and uncontrollable weeping and sobbing. While I can't say for sure, I can say that I think that the difference is due to the lack of faith and the fear of the unknown. These people don't know the Lord and haven't accepted the gift of salvation that Jesus has freely given them, so their souls (I believe) cry out because a part of them knows that they need Him, and that their loved one passed without knowing Him. This part might be so suppressed that they don't even know it's there, but I assure you that everyone has a deep longing for Jesus whether they know it or not.
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