By Danny Minton

Over the years, I have been asked to officiate at the memorial service for numerous people. Of the more than 120-plus people I have spoken over, all but a handful were either relatives or friends. Most have been good Christian men and women who have served the Lord faithfully. I have shared their life stories and notes from those close to them while on earth. Each story I tell reveals something about the person that makes an impression on me and those who hear it. Every so often, a story of faith stands out that makes such an impact that it touches my life and the lives of everyone present.

The past week has allowed me to speak about two friends. Both were people of great faith and trust in God. Saturday afternoon, I told the story of Ronny, a man who had been my friend for many years. Around the first of the year, he found out that he had stage four cancer and was given approximately six months to live. Then, around five months ago, he got the news that his cancer was not spreading as fast and was given a year to a year and a half. Then, without warning, the cancer became aggressive and spread rapidly. He never complained through the entire ordeal and said many times, “I’m okay. I’m ready to go.” I’ll miss him, but I know where he is today.

Tuesday afternoon at the veteran’s cemetery, I read Ann’s story. Like Ronny, she was a person of great faith and trust in God. Ann wrote her story as the twenty-first century began; the family asked me to read part of it at the service. The part that touched me about Ann’s story was how it expressed her faith through a miscarriage, loss of a spouse, rearing two children alone, having to pack up and move, and discovering a new life and love. She earned two degrees in her thirties and worked fulltime while attending school. How did she do it? I’m sharing her response to this question, hoping it will help some with their walk in life.

“Could it have been the Lord who sent the Senior Borings to my hometown to preach so that I could meet their younger son? I think so. Could it have been God who directed the adoption of my children and placed them with me? I think so. And was it he who ultimately sent me to Valley View to student teach so that I could meet the handsome bachelor Principal there? I think so. And I could go on and on and on.

I know God bears our daily burdens for us. I know he sees the big picture and knows what we need. I don’t know why we have to go through some of the painful times, but I’m confident that ‘He moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform,’ because of His love for us. I know this now because I have taken the time to sit and reflect on my life. Oh, the wisdom of Psalm 46:10 ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’  

This work is unfinished because my life on the earth is unfinished. I believe God will continue to make His presence known in my live and in the lives of my children. It is my prayer that in the reading of this, you will be reminded of incidences in your own lives where God has been a work and that you will exalt Him among the nations and in the earth.

Oh yes, I promised in the beginning that I would tell you how I know that what has happened in my life is God at work and not mere circumstance. Well? I don’t know how I know. I just know that’s all. It is called faith.” 

The key word in both of their lives is “faith.” Faith is not just believing in something or someone. It carries a more substantial meaning, one that expands belief to trust. Faith is a “trusting belief.” It means we turn things over to God and let him lead us in the way he wants us to move. Sometimes, things happen that we do not understand, but as Ann said in her words, “He sees the big picture.” When something good happens, we should look to God and thank Him for the blessings. When something terrible happens, we should seek God’s help to see what He sees and allow Him to help us to move forward.  

Both of my friends had learned not to blame God for their misfortunes but to trust Him and His wisdom and love. When we learn to trust God and seek Him throughout life, He will instill within us the comfort of knowing that no matter what happens, He will never abandon us.

 Ann spent the next 24 years after she wrote these words serving God in various ways. The words of Paul to Timothy can sum up both Ronny’s and Ann’s. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB) “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Could it have been the Lord in their lives? I think so!

Danny Minton is a former Elder and minister at Southern Hills Church of Christ