This has been a very weird month for me and Alia. In 1 month, we've had 1 wedding and 3 funerals. Almost sounds like a title for a movie. We experienced the loss of my grandfather, a former band parent of mine, and a father of one of Alia's students. When you sit back and think of it, what a sad month for all 3 families. Losing a loved one is never easy, and at that losing a father. All three being the rock of their family. These past few weeks I have really been thinking about my own life. How am I as a husband? How am I as a son? How am I as a brother, a friend, a teacher, or even a stranger that no one has met? What am I doing right now to lead others to Christ? This month I truly have seen how life is short. We are only here for a little while.
I was was inspired by all three of the men that passed this month. Of course my grandfather, as he taught me and my brothers many things growing up and showed us how to be a man in supporting our family. The father of my former band student was such an inspiration. He showed how much he loved his wife and kids by devoting so much of his time to them. The father of Alia's student I had never met, yet his life made a huge impact on me. His love for the Lord was evident to his family and friends. In the last weeks of his life he continued to go to church, barely standing, despite his illness. The letters he wrote to his children and the smile on his face in his pictures, taken weeks before his death, put me and Alia to tears. His family and friends knew his relationship with Jesus and it was powerful even in his death. It is amazing how Christ can radiate through people even when they die! I pray for that kind of faith. I know that is what we need to pray for everyday. The Lord gives us joy even in times of suffering (James 5:7).
I pray that the Lord will lead me as he did these men. It is so easy to become impatient with other people and even with ourselves. But we have to remind ourselves that what we say and do must be pleasing to the Lord because it just may be the last thing we say or do here on earth.
Please pray for the families that the Lord will give them strength, guidence and a clear path.
