Sad week. My brother Pat passed away this past Sunday. He was only 69. I am the 5th child and only girl. Out of the seven of us (if you include mom and dad), there are only three now left.

When I was born, Pat (who was 10 years old at the time) turned to my parents and said “now I’m the very middle one”!  Middle kids can often feel pushed aside and overlooked, but I never saw that stop him. Pat was unique, thoughtful, and always loved me dearly.

I remember when I was perhaps 4 or 5 and Pat was somewhere around 15, one of his best buddies was Kenny Francis. Kenny lived three houses down from us. Sometimes when he and Kenny would walk out the front door to head down to Kenny’s house, I would run outside to the front porch and yell “PAAAAAAT”.  He would turn around and say “What?”  PAAAAAT I would repeat.  He would turn to Kenny and say, “just a minute my little sister wants me”. Then he’d walk all the way back to the porch and ask, “what do you want”?  It was then that I would let out a delightful squeal, turn and run in the house.  I didn’t want anything other than to see if he was willing to come all the way back just for me, and he always did.

Pat grew up during the cultural revolution in a time when so many were throwing up a middle finger at God and blaming Him for everything we perceived as bad. To us, God was all about judging our lifestyles and holding us back from everything we thought we deserved.  Not understanding how to take religion out of Christianity and yet keep truth at the center, we cast God off of us every chance we got, not wanting to have anything to do with a bunch of hypocrites gathered to worship a God who only condemned. It’s not surprising Pat didn’t want to have anything to do with church. 

In reality it is us who condemn God! I refuse to be ashamed of the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! As on author put it, “He ripped the gates of hell off their hinges”and “yanked the fangs out of Satan’s mouth” so that we could have life here and now. The impact of his life here on earth was so powerful that the world started their calendars all over again!  When the moon eclipses the sun, darkness covers the land, but it cannot hide the brilliance of the sun forever!  Sorrow may have the night but it cannot have our lives.  Joy comes because Jesus came!

Scripture tells us everyone who believes in Jesus will be saved from eternal death. I am convinced that Pat believed. I asked the Lord about this recently, sorrowful because I did not see much fruit in Pat’s life. God reminded me of the last text Pat sent me on April 8^th, where he expressed the greatness of God within the awesomeness of the eclipse. Also that yes, of the false prophets the scripture says “you will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16). But God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Even still, I don’t believe Pat ever fully discovered the uniqueness of why God created him, and never fully walked the path that God tailored just for him. But I believe the moment he closed his eyes for the last time in this earthly body, he opened his eyes for the first time in God’s loving embrace, and if he was sorry in that moment for anything it would have been that he never fully embraced that pure love while he was here. 

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.  Those who fail to consider where they’re headed in life often find themselves stuck in uncomfortable, undesirable, and lonely places. Middle kid or not, I’m sure there are many of us who may also feel overlooked, especially in a world of chaos and confusion that is running hard after death. But God sets before us a choice. We can choose life or we can choose death. He encourages us to choose life not just in the sweet by and by but here and now!  He knows each one of us so intimately that scripture says His thoughts about us outnumber the sand. You have never lived one unloved day. You will never find the end of His love for you. Consider that He knows you so intimately that He creates love for you that only you can receive, leaving you to feel like you are the only one He has ever created!

Tangible realities of His nearness are available to those who dare to believe, who are willing to take the time to search for His face, and who aren’t content with occasional encounters but desire something more.

Out of the 4 people in the picture above, there are only two of us left. Life passes us by faster than we’re ready for it.  My wish for all of you: Cast off the lie that religion equals true Christianity.  Understand that faith in God, love for Him and love for others is true Christianity. Don’t let life pass you by. Seek the face of your Creator and discover the uniqueness and giftings He has given you to walk the path He has called you to walk, embracing His love this side of heaven.