Powerful message – powerful faith

I met someone yesterday that will likely change my life forever. This gentleman has Lou Gehrig’s disease and is in a very advanced stage. In case you are not familiar with it, this horrible disease results in loss of all voluntary muscle movement and is always fatal. He is confined to a bed and requires constant care and monitoring. He can only move one finger and his eyes. He uses a single finger to control a computer type device whereby he can type messages. This ingenious device is wonderfully programmed in such a manner that if he touches certain keys the monitor displays an entire phrase.

When I met him I looked into his eyes expecting to see a tortured soul. Instead I saw perhaps the kindest, softest, loving, and brightest eyes that I have ever encountered. The peace expressed via his eyes is similar to what I would envision seeing if I had been lucky enough to have lived when Jesus walked the earth and I got a chance to look into His eyes. He typed a message welcoming my son and me to his house, and then typed in a message asking if we would like to reach for the love of Jesus. I said we would like that very much. Then his wife put two beautiful gold coins on her husband’s chest and asked us to reach for the coins and that he wanted us to have them. The coins had a rendering of the face of Jesus on one side and the Lord’s Supper along with a small hand reaching for the Hand of Jesus on the other. His wife explained that he likes to place the “Reach for Jesus” coin atop his heart where it will be close to the love of God and also to sleep with the coin under his pillow with the image of Jesus facing up whereby he can listen to Jesus whisper and he can have sweet dreams.

I thought that I had experienced hard times in my life, but my struggles were a cakewalk compared to what this sweet man and his lovely family are enduring. In spite of all of his challenges, his message to us remains simple, “Our life here on God’s beautiful earth has valley and mountain challenges. If you, as His child, choose to walk with Jesus, your journey will always be in peace”. He has not lost his faith in the love and goodness of Jesus in spite of his debilitating disease and in fact is still spreading the good news of Jesus Christ even as he approaches a certain death under the worst of conditions.

This powerful yet unspoken message uttered silently via computer by a child of God trapped in a fleshly prison reverberated through my being as if the archangel of almighty God shouted it from heaven. It was powerful beyond measure and I cannot talk about it without weeping. I prayed often last night for this man and his family. I draw comfort from knowing that soon he will be with the Lord in paradise and his broken body will be replaced with a glorious new body that will endure throughout eternity and shine brightly forevermore. I petitioned God not to allow him or his family to unduly suffer; nonetheless realizing that God has a purpose for this as He does for everything and the Lord’s will be done. I thanked God for allowing me to meet this man and provide me with a new perspective on life, suffering, and remaining 110% devoted to Jesus no matter our personal circumstance.

Lest you think this is just some desperate attempt at obtaining “religion” from someone facing certain death, know that this man has been a devout follower of God for many years. He is very wealthy and began under the most humble of conditions and amassed his fortune through hard work and faithfulness to his Lord. He has accomplished much for God and his church and one of his passions is the Boy Scouts of America which he has financially endowed with a small fortune. All of the considerable material things and wealth that he has acquired will soon be gone and fade away to nothing as all material things eventually do; however all of his work for God will soon be rewarded by Jesus Christ Himself and will last throughout eternity. I envision that this man will be held closely to the bosom of Jesus similar to the poor beggar Lazarus was being held by Abraham after his death. Restored and enjoying the peace of God.

I close this with a message offered by this man to all whom he meets, I hope and pray that you will take some time this morning and seriously reflect on it. There is hope for all of us in Jesus Christ!

“The Bible tells us that because of our sin we are all separated from God. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.’ Romans 3:23

The punishment for sin is high. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 6:23

Yet there is hope to be found in Jesus. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.’ John 3:16″