Father, I paid my final respects to an old friend today. I was a face in the crowd but he was a faithful servant of Yours in all aspects of his life and it was the least I could do. I am sure You welcomed him home with outstretched arms. Thank You, Father, for the privilege of knowing him here and for the gift of eternity that You give to all who follow You.

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As I sit here pondering his memorial service, I remember the many gracious things said of my friend. I had no reason to disbelieve anything that was stated, for every time our paths crossed his spirit testified of his walk with You. He was kind. He was compassionate. He was forthright – he had no fear of telling you like it was but he did so with a great permeation of love.

I call him friend, and I don’t think he would have disagreed but, in truth, we were not close. Some years ago, we had pretty regular interaction but life had moved on and only by Your good will had we run into each other in recent years – the most recent being within the last month or so.

Certain people with whom our lives intersect bring a smile to our hearts when we see them…and my friend was one of those people.

My ponderings, this morning and tonight, lead me to think…am I one of those people? People who know me, are they eager to interact with me? To catch up on our lives after we have gone our separate ways? Or if they can do so without giving themselves away, do they avoid seeing me so as to not have to speak with me? I’m sure there are people on both sides whom I know.

I strive to follow You, Lord Jesus, but where I struggle is that I may have put some people off because unfortunately my personality and my attitudes may have overshadowed Your presence in my life.

As I heard my friend’s pastor and granddaughter speak today, I very much believe that You very clearly shined through his life. He lived as You want us all to live – genuine, loving, a life of serving others above self.

Lord Jesus, may we diligently seek to replace our hearts with Yours. May we be a people who bring a smile to the heart of others. Amen.

July 23rd, 2019, Tues, 8:05 pm