For a Friend

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine died.

He was one of the elders in my church. He could make anything we needed (and had the parts for it in his garage somewhere; everything was in there somewhere and he knew exactly where everything was). He helped me win a Scrabble game once by looking at the letters, looking at the board, and telling me where to place my letters for the most points (generally in places that I would never notice). He laughed a lot, and laughed big, with his entire self. When I picture him in my head, he's always laughing, and even now I'm smiling.

He was a good man. He was solid and reliable and I always felt safe with him, like I could trust him completely. He loved God with his whole being and that love flowed out to everyone around him.

He had been battling cancer for 2 years, and one day his body stopped. From outward appearances, it looked like the cancer won, but that's not really true. God was always in control and decided that it was time to take him home. I'm happy for my friend; I'm sad for the rest of us.

At the memorial service, the pastor talked about 1 Thessalonians 4, about not mourning as the world, as those without hope. He said that it's okay to grieve, but to remember the hope that we have in Christ (and not "I hope this will happen", but the hope that is completely confident in the promises of God).