Hope for the Day
"Many people will walk in and
out
of your life, but only true friends
will leave footprints in your
heart."- Anon
This
week I experienced the death of a friend. A man with whom God set up a
“divine
appointment” for me in 1966; a man who affected my life perhaps more
than
anyone; a unique individual, one of a kind; his name was Bob. When I first met him he was challenging
someone to play basketball and he challenged me, in his own unique way,
to be
more than I thought I could be. Real friends accept you how you are and
encourage you to improve. I know he would smile and agree if I had told
him that
the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with
people
like him, people smarter than I. Through Bob, I learned, that no matter
how
serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act
goofy
with.
Several
months before he died, God set up a divine appointment again. This time I was given the opportunity of
leading Bob to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A skeptical
man, Bob
always indicated that he could not understand Christianity and how in
the name
of Jesus so many had been harmed throughout history. However, I always
knew in
my heart that he longed for and truly wanted to believe. Underneath
that tough
outer skin was a heart of love, deep emotion, commitment, and
consideration for
others. Different – yes, but a real, sincere, thoughtful human being.
Obviously
at
this time I feel grief, loss, anger, and sadness – in a way my love has
turned
to grief. However, never to have loved him would mean I would never
have to
grieve. “Only a person who never loves
never grieves. When you love someone, you feel a oneness and
fulfillment with
that person. But you also open yourself up to the possibility for
grief--when
he or she break-ups with you, moves away or dies. The relationship is
over and
that strong emotion of love mutates like some hideous sci-fi monster
into
equally strong grief.”( James N. Watkins, http://www.christiansonline.com)
Has God set up a
divine
appointment for you? Use the opportunity to show love, understanding
and
consideration – not only will you make their life better but you will
become a
better person. Most importantly, if you take advantage of the “divine
appointments” you will never have to say to yourself, “I wonder what
would have
happened if I hadda? God said to Hosea, “I will ransom them from the
power of
the grave; I will redeem them from death: Where, O death, is your
victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?” (Hosea
13:14;
1Cor.15:55) The grief of loss is easier to
bear and goes
more quickly when we place our faith in God. What if the Bible is true?