He was a great man of God. A mentor and leader who loved The Lord with all his heart. He was the patriarch of his family. He was a great teacher, song leader, and lover of the Word of God. Jack spoke and shared freely from his heart. In later years it was not uncommon for him to close his lessons with a friendly word of encouragement, “My bags and packed and I want yours to be also”.
It started out as a Sunday like any other. Making the mad dash to get family and children ready for church and in Bible class on time. My class had just begun when the phone rang (it never rang on a Sunday morning). It was Jack’s son calling, “Is Nathan there?”. I picked up the phone, “Nathan…Dad passed away this morning”. I rushed to the house. There was Vera, Jack’s wife, with a few other family at the house. Outside the window I could see the pecan tree in the backyard that Jack had planted. Inside, the house was filled with the seeds of his life. “He kissed me last night and went to sleep”, Vera strained, “and he never woke back up”. Jack had received a blessing he had long desired. He went to sleep in our world and woke up in heaven. “My bags are packed” he would always remind us of his life’s longing to see Jesus one day in heaven.
I wish every one us would approach life with such faith and vision. As God’s people we know that our time on earth is temporary and short when compared to eternity. As James puts it, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:14b). The decisions we make every day move us that much closer to our destination. Our choices, attitudes, behaviors reflect the way we prepare ourselves for what really matters.