A Living Testimony

A great friend of mine has recently passed.  He was a light that shined bright.  I know there will not be another like him.  

If I was to describe him it would be that he was energetic.  He had so much life in him. Everything he did was full of enthusiasm and joy.  This was one of his most enduring features.  At times this trait could be too much. He could drain so much energy because of the amount he used. But God gave him this trait for a reason.  God blesses us with all that we have for a reason.  It is with mixed emotions that I speak about his.  

I got a call from him one day and he told me that they had found cancer in his calf.  And with the same breath he was laughing and joking like this news was no big deal.  That's how he was.  He didn’t let things get to him.  He was going to have joy. It was an unbelievable witness to me that he could be so strong in such a terrifying situation. And my friend, as his treatments began and through the process of the whole situation, never gave up hope and his joy never faded.  He was a testimony. A living beacon of peace in an unimaginable storm.

Sometimes we wonder why God gifts us with such trials.  The disciples asked Jesus about a blind man and why he was blind. Jesus said so that the glory of God might be seen through him.  I know this was the purpose of my friend.  I truly saw and continue to see now, as he is with Jesus, God’s glory being displayed from the life that he lived.  I spoke with a good mutual friend about our friend's death and we both agreed that we are not sure if we could have walked through a small amount of what he suffered with such pose, grace, and joy.  He carried himself in such a way that if you did not know him you would have never known he was in pain.  He didn’t burden others but instead lifted others burdens with his overwhelming energy.  What's ironic about this situation is how the same character trait that used to take life from others now brought life.

In honor of him I want to ask the question, are you a living testimony? Does your life point to the glory of God? And finally one last question, what is the thing you think is a thorn? Maybe that is the thing that God will use to draw you to him and bring glory to his name. 

May God bless you and I hope sharing my friend’s story helps you to trust in Jesus more as it has helped me.

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3

I was given a thorn in my flesh, … I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 1 Corinthians 12:7-9