Compassion like Jesus

Eric's (my boyfriend's) uncle Marty passed away this past Saturday.  It was unexpected.  He was helping to maintain a shooting range that he frequented and had a heart attack.  He was only 44 and left his wife, his new high school graduate daughter, and elementary school aged son behind, along with several other family members.  Now, I haven't been dating Eric that long so I only met Marty a handful of times.  Still, on those few occasions I learned what a good man Marty was.  He would talk to me and make me feel comfortable.  He was such a nice guy and had one of the most amazing smiles I'd ever seen.  Little did I know, Marty was a very influential man in his family, church, and community.  His funeral was today.  I heard stories that made me laugh and stories that made me cry.  I learned a lot about this special man.  I learned that he was a Gideon and helped to get God's Word out to others.  I learned that he was a deacon in the church.  I learned that he worked with disaster relief and was awesome with a chainsaw.  And I learned he did all of this with a meek and humble spirit.  Marty did not require recognition- in fact, he did not even like it.  He did it out of the goodness of his heart.  The officiating pastor told us today that Marty was saved when he was in middle school.  I believe he truly tried to be like Jesus. The compassion I heard about is incredible.  I wish I had got to know him better.  But I know that now he is in heaven rejoicing and praising our Savior!  And I know that as much as his family may miss him, he wouldn't come back.  He is in love with his Savior and is now there with Him forever.  

And yes, my heart breaks for his family.  I can't imagine the pain and the hurt they are feeling right now.  Especially with Father's Day right around the corner.  I hope they remember that Marty is with his Eternal Father now.

I don't know why this happened the way it did and when it did, but I do know God has a plan for absolutely everything and that even through this tough time, He will be glorified.  Maybe someone will get saved because of this.  Maybe the legacy he left will continue to be carried on by others he touched.  I hope so.  And I trust in God to work this out for good.  I am a firm believer that something good comes out of every bad situation.  As for me, I will be there to comfort Eric and the rest of the family.  And I have been inspired to do good like Marty did- to be compassionate, to help others in need, to be meek, to be humble.  To glorify God in whatever ways I can.