Somber Reflections/Tribute

Today is going to be a somber day for us…

we lost another wonderful older gentleman in our church. His funeral is later this very morning… We mourn not for him. We know he is in a much better place (with no pain, no sickness, no suffering, and no death.) We know he is now reveling in Heaven’s splendor. Yet, We mourn for those who are left behind and because we will greatly miss this gentle soul.

This man wasn’t a preacher. He wasn’t a deacon. He wasn’t a singer (or at least, not that I knew of… lol)

This man was a man’s man. He was tough. When he was physically able, he didn’t shy away from hard work. He was a Vietnam Veteran. He had endured so much. His body bore the ill effects of those fateful years of his youth in the jungles of Vietnam. A chemical used by the enemy, “Agent orange” (as it is sometimes referred to) had taken its toll on his body and had left him with life altering sicknesses and diseases. His diabetes had cost him some toes. He had heart problems. Yet, rarely, did he ever complain…

He was a true patriot. He dearly loved his country and he wasn’t ashamed to say it! (Whether verbally or with his hilarious T-shirt slogans!! ) —He was proud of his military service and of the freedoms he fought so valiantly to defend. Yet, he was constantly reminded of those who didn’t get to “come home” or those who came home, never to be the same again. There were some stories and some experiences that never got told—some things were just too painful to rehash…

He loved music— especially bluegrass gospel!! He had story after story to tell. You could sit for hours and listen to the experiences (and escapades!) he had encountered. He wasn’t a book scholar, yet he had wisdom to bestow on all those who were willing to listen. He had seen and done much and he had been taught from the best school around— LIFE!!

He was quick to share a smile. All the children (even the babies!) loved him. He was full of kindness. He had a sense of humor and loved to have a good laugh.

While his military service, his gentle spirit, and his quirky personality were all endearing (and I do not wish to discount any of those things, for they ALL are worthy of honor), none of those things are the main thing I want to highlight on this day of tribute.

I want to highlight his faith! He was a soldier, that is true, but that was not the greatest calling he ever accepted in his life. The greatest calling was when he accepted the recruitment into the army of the Lord. He didn’t become a Christian until he was already ‘up in years’. He accepted Christ several years ago at our church, following the death of one of his own family members (who also attended our church).

When he said yes to Jesus, He became a soldier for the Lord. And boy, did he !! This sweet man would stand (even right after losing toes to diabetes) and with his voice thick with emotion, He would declare of how he loved the Lord and how he loved each and every one of us at the church… he was quick to give the Lord praise whether he got a good report from the doctor but also even when it looked bleak… he would always say he was just trusting in the Lord –that He was going to take care of it.

When he fell sick this last time, he told our pastor that when he got back to church, he was going to be a “louder voice” of praise for how good God had been to him. His only regret was he wasn’t more active in his worship/praise. (This coming from a man with multiple diseases, sicknesses, heart problems, and missing most of his toes!)

Sadly, he never made it back to church to fulfill those goals… (But I’m sure he’s definitely having a time in Glory especially having a new body & with no health hindrances/restrictions ! )

I will miss those sweet testimonies….

But what a condemnation to me… me with good health, me with no known diseases/sicknesses, me with no known heart issues, and me having all my toes!! What’s my excuse??

When we look at it like that, it really puts things back into perspective…

We must not wait until we are unable to…

fill in the blank

Today is the day to…..fill in the blank

Life is short! We aren’t promised tomorrow. We never know what a day is going to bring. Our life can be drastically changed in a moment of time—by a doctor’s report, by a test result, by an health incident, by a phone call, or by a knock at the door. We never know when we are going to see someone for the last time…

May we hug our loved ones tighter, kiss our spouses longer, say “I love you” more often…

May we become more forgiving, more kind, more compassionate, and more long suffering…

May we testify of God’s goodness more frequently and worship more freely…

May we seize every opportunity to share the “Good News” with someone else.

May we learn to:

Live in the present… Forget about the past…not worry about the future…

We must live each day as if it is our last.

‘Cause We never know… it just might be....

From my heart to yours,

Tiphanie ❤️