As I read the post on Caring Bridge, tears began rolling down my cheeks. I haven't seen Larry and Margaret in person since he preached my grandfathers funeral in 1999 but thanks to social media, we have kept in touch.
Oftentimes, we put preachers up on a pedestal and think they are above others but Larry didn't like pedestals. He was the real deal. He was human...he hunted, fished, hung out with kids, played rook, sat and shared stories with the "old timers" at the country store...the list could go on forever. Larry lived life but not only that, he lived Jesus out in his everyday life...he made Jesus real for a bunch of us kids.
One memory that is always at the forefront of my mind is the night I told this to "the preacher", as I watched Adam and Joy while Larry, Margaret, Jerry, Terre and my parents played rook: 'If I ever get the hankering to have kids, I'm just gonna come visit y'all and that will cure it'. Yep, I said it and I'm pretty sure my parents wanted to find the nearest crack to crawl into because if MY kids were to belt out something like that now, ESPECIALLY to a preacher, I would feel the same way. But you know what Larry's response was...he belted out in laughter. You see, I was just a bratty pre-teen wanting the kids to sit quietly so I wouldn't have to follow after them. Instead of taking offense to a smart-mouth kid, Larry laughed and blew it off and loved me anyway. Needless to say, I obviously didn't go visit them enough because my girls are now 11 and almost 13 but that memory of me saying that to "the preacher" will never fade.
That is one of many memories I have pulled up this morning from my memory bank of Larry. But you know what all the memories of him have in common??? Love. Unconditional, agape love. He loved people and people loved him. And that's what Jesus is all about. The way he lived his life makes me want to strive harder to "live like that"...to love people unconditionally; to be transparent and not seek a pedestal; to be the "real deal"... and maybe one day, I can have an impact on people's lives the way Larry did.
So last night around 10:45, I imagine God had a pretty big smile on His face as He caught a glimpse of Larry heading down the home stretch coming home for Psalm 116:15 reads: Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants. Larry was just that...His faithful servant.
Until next time...
No comments:
Post a Comment