March 23rd began and ended very similarly.
I had only been up for a few hours when a friend texted me to tell me that a mutual acquaintance, someone who used to mean significantly more to each of us had died nearly two weeks earlier. A felt such a wide range of emotions, from shock (he was 47), to sadness, to anger and disbelief..
I did what I usually do when discovering the passing of someone - I scoured the internet for their obituary.
I found a two sentence death notice.
So and so, 47, passed away March 12, 2018. Arrangements being made by this funeral home.
I looked to the funeral home. The more I looked, the more I realized, he had no other memorial.
No lengthy obituary, speaking of his life.
No memorial service held. I began thinking about him.
As a young man, he had several close knit friends that he entered into adulthood with, and happy memories. He had friends, like me, who cared very deeply for him. Then as life went on and he made poor choices in relationships, he became depressed and evermore bitter. He pushed everyone who cared from his life and was left alone.
Then he got cancer.
Instead of being treated when diagnosed, he waited over a year before beginning treatment, for his own twisted reasons.
It brought to mind 2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
I thought, what is God going to say to him, since he seemingly squandered the gift of life that he was given?
I felt to heartsick that this man, who lived and breathed on this earth, basically disappeared like a vapor, as if he were never here.
We are called to "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone." -- Mark 16:15
I know he knew Jesus. I remember as teens, he had a wooden cross hanging from the rear-view mirror of his truck. He was not ashamed of the gospel. Then the tides turned, and he turned his back on everyone who cared, including his heavenly father.
As my mind was still reeling from this, I was getting ready to head to bed, when I get a call that my uncle died very suddenly and unexpectedly.
The shock and sorrow were overwhelming. I immediately think about those suffering from his loss - his wife, my Mom, who he had kept in close contact with, especially since my grandmother passed many years ago.
I see many online today, telling his wife just how special he was, Even in these last several years, he regularly traveled to help another aunt and her husband who are in ill health, even while experiencing his own health challenges. He regularly called dozens and dozens of people in the small town where he lived, because he knew they needed someone to check in on them, someone to care.He had just enough to live comfortably, but would give anyone everything they had if they needed it.
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -- Matthew 5:16
My uncle had a beautiful heart. So many benefited from it. So many people will feel his loss here on earth. I've heard plenty of stories about the rebellious things he did in his formative years that I know he and God will be chatting about, but I can't wait to see him again and see the crown full of jewels he gets to lay at Jesus' feet.
Two lives, both that had meant a lot to me at various stages of my own life. Two deaths that I became aware of on the same day. Two very different sets of emotions that led to the same decision.
You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. -- James 4:14
We are all here but for a blink in time.
What kind of impact are you making?
Are you spreading God's love and planting seeds?
I want to serve my heavenly father. While leaving a legacy is not the goal, living a godly life of meaning is. In honor of my uncle's memory, I plan to do just that. May it not take the loss of another to remind me again.
