6 years later a dying man came to Christ
This is a post in a series titled “30 days for dad.”
6 Years Later
Ever since my dad died I have fought to believe in the Christian promise of hope–that God does what is best for his children, for me. It is a belief that not one moment of suffering is wasted or purposeless. It is a belief clearly taught in the Bible. And it is a belief that is hard to functionally believe when painful things keep happening to you.
In the midst of this battle to believe, God gives tangible blessings to help us trust him. Blessings like last Wednesday, my dad’s six year anniversary, when I got to see a man dying of ALS come to Christ.
God, Let It Be Today
After starting the morning by remembering my dad with some friends, Pastor Matt Jensen and I drove out to Bellevue to meet Mel. He had requested to talk with a pastor about God and that request had come to us through his cousin, one of the girls in our church.
On the drive over Matt and I both expressed a strong desire to see Mel and his wife Chantal come to Christ–that day. I had never personally led someone to Christ, but with the way God had lined everything up, I was praying fervently that God would let it happen: “Today, God, let it be today!”
I Had Seen It Before
Walking into Mel’s home was like deja vu. I had seen it before, six years before, except the whittled down man in the adjustable bed was my dad, and the woman caring for him was my mom. Pictures around the house chronicling the terrifying journey from normal life to near death, hand made cards from a son to his dad, and the unbearable weight of grief and fear–all too familiar. I had seen it before.
My heart broke as Chantal explained Mel’s fears regarding his past sins and what would happen to him when he died–where he would go. His face was tearfully contorted by the terror of the unknown. This was the man we met at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, May 19, 2010.
I Am Not Afraid
We walked Mel through the good news that Jesus had come to live perfectly and die on his behalf. Matt walked him through Romans 10, asking if he believed Jesus had died for his sins, been raised from the dead, and become the Lord of his life. Mel could barely talk, but he nodded best he could to each question: “Yes.”
Mel still seemed afraid after this. I remembered how my dad, who was ready to meet Jesus, had been strangled by the fear of leaving the family behind. So I asked him if he was afraid to die and stand before God, the reality he had been terrified by when we first walked in. He began to mumble something we struggled to make out. As he continued to repeat this phrase, we realized what he was saying: “I am not afraid! I am not afraid!”
He Can Take Care of Your Son Too
Once I realized Mel was afraid to leave his family behind, especially his 11-year-old son, I shared my brokenness with him. I showed him a picture of my dad and little brother, eleven months before he died. I looked him in the eye and said, through tears, “This is my dad and brother. My brother is eleven in this picture, just like your son. He is eighteen today and a strong man of God. The pain is terrible, but God took care of my brother, and he can take care of your son too.”
Then I told him the church would take care of his family after he was gone. His wife followed this by exclaiming, “Mel, I’m ready to give my life to Jesus too!” My heart overflowed with joy. Salvation had come to their house.
Chantal expressed a desire to read the Bible, pray together, and begin taking the kids to church. After helping them get some initial direction in this we hugged Chantal and said goodbye to Mel, who was smiling peacefully in his bed. There was no more terror in his face, no more fear of death. This is the man we left at 2:30 pm, Wednesday, May 19, 2010.
For the record, my dad died at 1:30 pm, Wednesday, May 19, 2004.
Six years of pain–He has not wasted it.
May 28th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Steve- I moved by every blog you post. Although I had never met your father I’m so thankful for the man of God he was a the legacy he left behind. I’m thankful for the work that Christ has done and continues to do in your life and for the real and tangible ways that he shows up constantly. Thank you for sharing your stories.
June 1st, 2010 at 5:45 pm
Mel died today. June 1st, 2010.
I visited the family this morning with Pastor Matt. At about 10:30am Matt got a call from the family, saying that Mel was dying. We took off immediately on the half-hour drive. When we arrived, his father-in-law met us outside to tell us the news that Mel had passed away while we were en route. He told us, “It is a blessing, after all the pain.” Inside, Chantal was on her knees at his bedside, sobbing. It was my first experience with the family, but since it wasn’t the time for introductions, I went and sat in the kitchen while Matt prayed with Chantal. The details of Mel’s death and the time afterwards are not mine to share, so I leave them to the family, in their time.
There was great comfort in knowing that he is in the hands of a gracious God. One of the family members shared that they had seen a remarkable, definite change in Mel’s attitude after gave himself over to Jesus–he had peace. Chantal, too, said that she saw him change. Over the last few weeks, he’d been eating up the Scripture that they were reading together. She said that sometimes when she was reading she would ask him, “Mel, are you sure you still want to be listening to this?”, and he would respond, to the degree that he was able, “YES, YES.”
Death is usually pushed out of the public eye in our culture, and most people deal with death by trying to just not think about it, but think about it or not, it comes for us all. How do we respond? Mel was able to have peace in the end because he believed in salvation through Jesus. As I think about the possible end-game scenarios of my cancer, I couldn’t help but imagine myself in Mel’s position, and my family likewise affected. How will I approach death, be it soon or far off? I, too, acknowledge Jesus as my King and rely on him for my salvation. He is and will be my sufficient and only source of peace. I hope, as I’m sure you do, Steve, that everyone would worship and exalt Jesus, the King who gives peace.