Never alone

It was a Thursday night, December 4, to be precise. My dad had been in the hospital since Sunday morning and the prognosis was not good. Michelle, Matthew, and I had been visiting with dad most of the evening, and were preparing to leave.

Michelle sensed that Dad wanted someone to stay, so she asked him. While he struggled to speak full sentences, he was able to confirm that he wanted someone to stay.

We decided I would spend the night in Dad's room. After Michelle and Matthew left, I prepared my sleeping arrangements.

Dad and I visited for a little while and then I lay down where I could have eye contact with him.

Over the next hour or two I was lying there, unable to fall asleep. Everytime I opened my eyes and looked Dad's direction it seemed he sensed my glance and looked my way for a second, displaying a look of relief that I was still there.

For over forty-four years, this man had always been there for me. From lunches at Markley's in downtown to Sandusky to watching him videotape testimony for local attorneys, I was his sidekick. From high school marching band to selecting a college, he was there to support me. He took pictures at my wedding (because no one else would have done it right...lol) and spent every Christmas at our home watching Matthew open presents.

After all that, on this night the tables had turned. What a blessing to be there for the man who had been there for me so many times.

But we weren't the only ones in the room. There was a palpable presence of Another in the room with us. The God to whom my dad had surrendered his life a few days earlier was assuring us that we were not alone. God was with us, even in the the darkest of times.

Through the prophet Isaiah thousands of years ago, God said to his people, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)

I am with you.

Words of comfort.

Words of assurance.

Words of hope.

Words of peace.

My dad had found peace for the rest of eternity, and in the last hours of his earthly life, the peace that was with us in that room was undeniable.

I finally fell asleep sometime after midnight and slept soundly for several hours. Around four in the morning, I awoke and would spend almost every minute of the next seven hours with my dad.

Shortly after eleven that morning, my dad breathed his last breath and left this world. In that moment, an overwhelming sense of peace surrounded me as I said goodbye to the man who had been there for me since the day I was born.

shine!

Jason

The dream

On Monday, our nation honors Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential people of the 20th century and in the history of our nation.

As I reflect on King, his mission, and his legacy, I am reminded of the words he spoke as he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial...

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

While I believe progress has been made towards this dream, there is still much to do. We have passed laws, but laws have not been, and never will be, the ultimate weapon against racism.

Dr. King understood that as well. While he fought against a legal system that often supported racism, he knew that the real battle was about more than laws.

King said, "Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless."

Racism is sin. And like every other sin, you cannot pass laws that get at the core of the problem, changing someone's heart. No matter how many laws we pass, we cannot eliminate racism.

Should we pass laws to restrain racism? Absolutely! But don't think that a few laws will win the war.

The war against racism is a part of the war against sin. And sin can only be overcome by the power of Christ. 

Unfortunately, the church at times has been a participant in racism. But the imperfection of the church does't change the message of Christ.

The apostle Paul wrote, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28 NIV)

In Christ, there is race, but no racism. Sexes, but no sexism. Differences, but no division.

One day, there will be a world where there are no divisions or hate. But until that day when Christ returns, his followers are called to be ambassadors of light, striving to partner with God to make all things new. This was Dr. King's dream. This is God's dream. And it should be the dream of every follower of Jesus.

shine!

Jason