Victory in Death
July 22, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton
I’ve made the case before that men, especially fathers, are
to blame for the breakdown of families and some other cultural problems we
face. Based on the arguments I’ve made, readers might suspect that all the men
in my life failed me in some way. In fact, one of the things I’m most thankful
for is the abundance Godly men I’ve been blessed to learn from. Here’s an
example of one of them…
Five years ago today, my friend Ryan met his savior face to
face. He was the sort of person you always enjoyed being around; always with a
smile on his face. When I went to visit him in the hospital, he was usually
playing with the other kids (being the only teen in the children’s hospital).
Ryan saw his cancer as an opportunity to reach out to others in Christ’s love. I
was amazed at his memorial service to find out how many people he impacted that
I’d never met.
What made Ryan so strong in his faith? Aside from the saving
work of Christ, it was his earthly father, Marty. Marty is an example of how a
good father can have a positive impact beyond his family. When I heard the news
of Ryan’s imminent passing I was away working at camp and had to face the
grieving process alone. But an email from Marty encouraged me more than
anything else could, and it still does to this day- five years later:
it certainly can be defined differently in each situation. In the game of
life, as many put it, we all realize that everything that we buy will
eventually rust, corrode, and break. These items can
own us in the way we have to spend weekends tightening every nut and bolt on
the swing set so the monster contraption doesn't eat our kids alive, changing
oil in the car or tending the garden.
Yes, we can have something in life that can grow stronger. Relationships
with people. It is work. It can be fragile. Many relationships
break and do not get repaired. My son, Ryan, has made numerous
relationships and those who meet him have seen character qualities that uplift
them. Years ago, a little four year old boy told Mommy he wanted Jesus in
his heart. The prayers that followed began the rest of his life in
becoming more Christ-like. Ryan has blessed people with his bright spirit
and compassion. He enjoys making people happy. As in all growth, it comes
in steps. As in all marathons, in your mind you can picture the end, even
though it is not in sight. In our lives, we usually don't know what the end
will look like.
…We talked about a subject that has come up between us for some time now.
Very soon, Ryan will feel no pain and as was told to another man on a cross 2000
years ago, 'Today, you shall be with me in paradise!”
Folks, don't fool yourself. We can look at death in the face and agree
with the bible, “Oh
Death, where is thy sting? Where is thy victory?” We can't
consider it as death, it won't be over. Ryan will just move from the
short painful side to the eternal rejoicing side…. now that's livin'!
Don't misinterpret this as not hurting. He's going to be called home by
the Creator soon. Ryan might question if he has done what he was supposed
to in life, but when Ryan leaves this short physical life of 16 years and moves
onto eternal life, he will get to hear the greatest relief statement anyone
could hope for. “Well done My good and faithful servant.”
Our prayer is that you will join us all someday in heaven. We are crying
now. For our own sadness. We will miss him. We do have a deep
joy that we will be reunited with him.
Related posts:
- Vote For Victory, And…
- Koppels Victory Garden
- Death by Hanging
- Death Penalty Saves Lives
- The Left Behind Game Debate
- Free Food (for thought)!
Posted in Main Page, Miscellaneous, Roger's Posts
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July 24th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Thanks for sharing this Roger.
July 24th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
Yes, Thanks. He obviously had a siginificant impact on your life.
July 25th, 2006 at 5:06 am
Has it been five years already?
You don't get to claim Marty for yourself. As a teen and a young Christian, I was impacted deeply by Marty's Christ-like character.
When I left my parents' home after high school graduation, I moved into a rented house that I shared with three roommates, Marty being one. Looking back now, I see that we were all very young: two of us just eighteen; Marty and another young man in their early twenties.
But at the time, the two men five years my senior seemed to be spiritual giants (all of twenty-three!), and I looked to them for direction and guidance, whether the question was how to treat a girlfriend, how to manage my money, how to serve others selflessly, or what the true measure of a man was. I learned and grew tremendously from all three of my roommates, as a young man and as a Christian, in the short time we were under one roof, until Yoko, I mean Eva, married him and broke us up.
My own father worked hard, drank hard and played hard. Marty's gentleness amazed me, and I used that modeling of Christ's character to begin to deconstruct a part of my personality I hadn't asked for, but had inherited. That's the quality I'll always consider remarkable about Marty, and the one trait of his that has become the most infused into my own character: the meekness that I so desperately need. I'll be forever thankful to him for just that. Describing the totality of his impact on me would take pages.
If you found any gentleness in me, part of it was Marty's, reflected.
Enough blather. Look forward to hearing you w/ John Snyder on the radio. Keep up the good work. I'm using part of the summer to finish my Ambassador Basic Cirriculum.
Jeff Coulter
July 25th, 2006 at 5:38 am
Oh, yeah: I'm also reading Fuz Rana (with Hugh Ross)'s Who Was Adam? and Ross' The Genesis Question. I know, a little pedestrian; but I need choices on the middle shelf, because Philosophia Christi makes me light-headed, and the Chick tracts just don't satisfy me anymore…
July 25th, 2006 at 9:00 am
I heard you stopped by STR last week- too bad I wasn't there. Drop me an email. We should try to get a meal together before summer ends.