One of the things about growing up is that you can look back on your life with a better understanding of events, and a better appreciation for the impact certain events had on you. When we’re kids, our perspective isn’t always complete. We don’t always know the bigger picture. But as we grow and our brains develop, certain things make more sense and you can connect the dots of what happened. This has been an interesting aspect of my life over the last 10 or so years as I’ve grown to be an adult. I’ve seen how God has worked in my life through hard times to make me into the man I am today. Those hard things clouded my perspective of God’s plan most of the time, but God worked them all together for good, as He promises to do in Romans 8. One such occasion was in 2004. I turned 11 that year, and my brother turned 13.
In January of 2004, my grandmother got sick. This was my mom’s mom. I never knew what she had, but I knew it was kidney related. Over the course of the following months, my grandma was in different hospitals in Springfield, Illinois, Peoria, Illinois, and Macomb, Illinois. She went through rounds and rounds of dialysis. We were able to visit her a few times.
It was usually a long drive involved in visiting her. But no matter how long she was in the hospital, she never seemed to get better. Fast forward to the summer.
Many of you know of my heart issues. I was born with some heart problems and had my first heart surgery when I was only a few weeks old. I never thought much of it. I went to the cardiologist every summer to check things, but just thought it was a normal part of my life. I found out that summer, however, that all was not good with my heart, so I had to have another surgery. That surgery took place on October 21st, 2004. I was in the hospital for 6 days, and as it happened, my grandma and I shared the same hospital for a time there. I was able to go visit her while we were both there. She wasn’t in the best shape, but it was great seeing her, even for just a little bit.
After I got out of the hospital and moved back home, my focus was on my recovery. It’s not an easy thing, even for an 11-year-old. But I eventually got my strength back and was able to live a normal life again. However, everything changed that Thanksgiving. My mom had driven the 3 hours down to Springfield to visit my grandma, and I still remember being in the living room when she called to tell dad that my grandma had passed away. My mom was devastated. She had told us more than once that my grandma was my mom’s best friend. She was someone she could go to no matter what to ask for advice.
It was a hard time for my parents, but I didn’t completely understand the impact. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my grandma. It just didn’t impact me very much at that moment, for whatever reason. But like I said earlier, as you grow up, you get a better understanding of the events of your life. You see, my grandma loved Jesus. She had been a member of our church for decades and served regularly in different ways. Now that I’m a Christian and know of the hope of Heaven, I have joy knowing that I will see my grandma again one day, and I can only imagine her joy in being there, just waiting on me and the rest of my family to join her.
As you may have heard by now, Kenny passed away on May 19th. I really appreciate the love and support I’ve received from you, my church family, during this hard time. But like my grandma, Kenny is now living in heaven, having the time of his life (or is it his afterlife?) being with Jesus in the most real way possible. I know it hurts, but I’d like to offer some encouragement if I can.
I’m not much of an art person, but there’s a picture online that you can find called “First Day in Heaven.” It’s a picture of a girl with the biggest smile in the world giving Jesus a big hug. If it doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will. But these events remind me that while we still struggle on this planet with the consequences of sin, Kenny is free from his ALS. He can move and talk and breathe easily. He can live the life he’s always wanted, because he’s in the place where there is no death. There are no more tears. There is no more pain or sin or anything bad. He’s in paradise.
So while we mourn the loss of our friend, I hope we can find peace knowing that our friend and pastor is happier than he ever was on this planet, and he’s experiencing joy and peace in ways we can’t even imagine. And if you know Jesus, you can have the same hope I have, knowing that we’ll see our dear friend again one day, sharing in the joy and peace he is experiencing this very moment.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” -Revelation 21:3-4 (NIV)
