I have been overwhelmed with the weight of Jesus’ love lately. how much he loves me. and the idea/realization that love was really what he was and IS all about.
My dad died a little over a month ago. I was at cane’s, with my cousin, eating french fries. Dad text me about coming home, wanting to know how late I was gonna be. he gave me the usual speech about driving safely, buckle up, etc. I responded to his text message by saying that I wasn’t tired but I wouldn’t be home too late. he answered back and told me to text him when I was almost home, and he would leave the porch light on for me and unlock the door right before I got there.
this was my last conversation with him. not even twenty minutes later, I received a phone call with my mother’s desperate voice on the other side, “I think your daddy just had a heart attack.”
what a story. the story of my father’s death.
you can learn a lot about someone by knowing what they said and did in the moments right before they died. the truth is, everyone will have a story of their death. some of us will see it coming, we will be old and grey. either in a hospital or in our easy chair at home. for others, death will come like a thief, with no warning.
my dad certainly did not know he was about to die. I can say confidently that none of us saw it coming. and as heartbreaking as it is to lose him, the moments before his death speak volumes of the life that he lead.
he was being love... by loving me, my sisters, my mom. by loving Jesus and loving people.
I hope that I can be that picture of the love of Jesus. that even in my last seconds on earth, I am caring about someone and showing them what love looks like. what a testimony it would be if in my last breath I was telling someone.. “be safe coming home. I’ll leave the light on for you. I’ll wait up to make sure you’ve made it.”
this is a picture of Jesus. sounds exactly like something he would say.
“by this all men will know that you are my disciples… if you love one another.” – Jesus said that in John chapter 13. if you want to be like Me, then love people. it’s that simple.
the story of Jesus’ life was that he loved people, and he loved his Father. this is also my dad’s story. this can be your story. I believe, now more than ever, that love is the solution to most of the issues I may face. and I hope it will be my story too.
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