My Friend

Saturday is the memorial service for a friend.

 

Some might say calling him a friend is a stretch.  Let's face it, we only knew each other a handful of months.  He was older than me.  He had lived a life that was drastically different from mine.  He did time in jail.  He made a bunch of the bad choices that I wasn't even tempted to make.  We had different backgrounds.  We had different heritages, different gifts, different diseases, different... everything.  Oh, yah, and least important of all - different skin colors.

 

It's interesting to me that we had almost nothing in common.

 

Jesus.

 

Sometimes in conversation and fellowship there is a heart connection.  You don't have to know everything.  You don't have to spend mountains of time together.  You don't have to have much in common.  You end up just enjoying the interaction as if it's a favorite pair of jeans. Sometimes people just fit.

 

It's amazing how some hearts can be so quickly sewn together when the common thread is a Savior.  Two completely different materials can make a wonderful garment for the Holy Spirit to wear.

 

Jesus.

 

I find myself asking the "why" question.  Not the "why did he have to die" question, that's for a different moment.  Right now I'm wondering a little bigger than that.  Why did our Father God sew our fabrics together for such a short time?

 

It's possible I had something that he needed before he faced eternity (the arrogance of that thought makes it hard to even read).  My friend was ready for eternity before our fabrics came together.  God knew how short his time was - I don't think He brought him into my life for him, but the reverse is what I am talking to God about.  What did God want to teach me through him?  What patches did he bring that my soul needed to be complete?

 

Jesus.

 

Many of us cross paths for such a short time.  Have you ever wondered why?  Have you  learned from that person who was just "dropped" into your life?  Can you hear the Holy Spirit whispering to you through people?  We are often too busy or guarded or angry or selfish or weak or....

 

God and I will continue to talk about how the Holy Spirit used James to grow me.  Right now I'm just saying "thank you" for my friend with whom I had one thing in common -

 

Jesus.

 

That's enough.

 

Dave