Living A Life Of Impact

Our church is very thankful today, as yesterday one of our most beloved members had a medical emergency during the service, but the news today is that he is doing very well and should be back with us very soon without any extremely serious concerns coming out of the scare we all had. I have been so delighted and encouraged to see our church family express their love, concern, and care for our friend Bill throughout the last day or so, and among those expressions were so many testifying of how Bill touched their lives in very meaningful ways. That is what I have been reflecting on in the past 21 hours or so, and even as I write this, that Bill is living a meaningful life, and it causes me to seriously contemplate...what makes a life so meaningful to others in the church? There is no way I could capture all of who Bill is to so many in our church, but a few things stand out to me that I think are worth sharing.

Before I do, I want to be clear, this is not intended to be a eulogy, Bill is still with us, thankfully, and this is not intended to say that Bill is a perfect man. I am sure Bill would be the first to say, humbly, that he is not worthy of such commentary, and instead direct the credit and glory to Christ in his life. But we also are called to give honor where honor is due (Romans 13:7) and to imitate others as they imitate Christ (1 Corinthains 11:1), so I believe writing about this should be an opportunity for us to learn and consider the direction our own lives are going, as well as to let Bill know how meaningful he is to us while he is still with us.

The first characteristic I think of when I think of Bill is his sincerity and genuineness, without any hypocrisy (James 3:17). I do not believe Bill has an insincere bone in his body. When he meets someone new, I believe the expression on his face, the warmth of his smile and the brightness of his eyes, communicates so clearly that his words in welcoming them are meant sincerely. When he says he has been praying for you, you know absolutely that he has been taking you, and most often your family, before the throne of grace regularly. The only harsh words of anyone I have ever heard Bill speak were reserved for those who do evil, and especially do evil against the body of Christ, and that is driven by his genuine love for believers. He loves the brethren sincerely, genuinely, and those who attend Norton Baptist Church are special recipients of that love on a regular basis.

I also know that Bill rejoices with those who rejoice and weeps with those who weep (Romans 12:15). When someone loses a loved one, if the funeral or viewing hours are local, you can almost count on Bill to show up. He will not hesitate to walk up to someone who is sorrowing over loss and seek to console them with genuine care and concern. He also gets really excited when others experience joy. I have seen him celebrate so many joys of others, with absolutely no jealousy in his own heart. You can share anything with Bill, and he will reflect your joy or your sorrow in the matter, and you know his heart is with you in it.

Bill is also a great servant. When we moved here four years ago, Bill was at the ripe, young age of 83, and yet he showed up and helped us move, even providing food for us that day. Amazingly, though, Bill was having his own struggles caring for his dear wife Pat who was battling Alzheimer’s. If anyone had an excuse to not come help unload the truck or provide food, Bill had one, but he would not be turned away from serving. Just this past weekend, another family in our church was moving locally. We had a Bible study that morning and some guys were going to head over, and Bill, at 87 years old now, said to me, “I think I’ll go over, I can’t lift heavy stuff, but I am sure I can carry some boxes.” I told him just showing up would be an encouragement to the family, but he found a way to be very useful in caring for their youngest child so that mom and dad could focus on getting more accomplished. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen Bill serve or heard testimony of others about how Bill served them. He just jumps in on every opportunity he is available for, and even expresses some regret when he is not available for legitimate reasons. He simply loves to serve the body of Christ in any way possible.

Another thing that I believe makes Bill so lovable is his transparency. Bill has had a fair amount of health issues over the past few years, and he has shared those with the church family, but it has never sounded like a complaint. His attitude is always a trust in the Lord as he shares, and his genuine desire is for others to have the opportunity to share in his burden and pray for him too. Bill not only wants to care for others, but desires for others to care for him, and he trusts God’s Word when it teaches us that this is what the body of Christ does. He has no fear in opening his heart up to others with how it still hurts that his wife is no longer with us, to how he struggles with whether to proceed with heart surgery or not, to how the latest world news breaks his heart. That willingness to open up his heart to us causes even a stranger to feel safe with Bill. When he expresses a trust in the church to care, not complaining, but simply sharing, he endears himself to others.

I am sure there is so much more that can be said, but these are some reflections I have had on Bill’s life over the last few years, and especially over the past day or so. Frankly, as one friend put it to me the other day, Bill’s life is a rebuke to my own life. I need to learn how to be more sincere, more genuine. I need to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep better, having my heart knit with others. I need to be a better servant of others in our church. I need to be more transparent so that others can bear my burdens. I believe Bill is so well-loved at Norton Baptist Church because Bill has truly loved Norton Baptist Church, as a whole and down to the individuals within the church. I believe Bill is an example of the very essence of what it is to be a member of the body of Christ. I hope we all are challenged by his life to imitate Bill as he is imitating Christ.