A Short Season

Some years ago I read a book called "A Short Season," which was based on the true story of Brian Piccolo -- a full back for the Chicago Bears who played in the same backfield as Hall of Fame running back Gayle Sayers. Piccolo died tragically of cancer at the age of 26. He was remembered not so much for what he accomplished on the football field, but instead for the kind of friend he was -- particularly to Sayers.

The events of the last week have reminded me again that it truly is a short season for all of us.

This last week two people went home to be with the Lord who were on my wife's "Top Five List." To get on Pam's Top Five List you don't necessarily have to be her best friend. You don't have to have a great sense of humor or be one of the people she likes to hang out with the most. What you do need to be is one of those rare people who she thinks of as a model for how each of us should live our lives.

I cannot tell you how many times Pam said how much she loved Jack DeHart. Although she sometimes had trouble finding exactly the right words to describe him, it seems like every Sunday when Jack (Pam actually refers to him as either "Bishop" or "Becky's Dad") was in church I was going to get an ear full on the way home about how wonderful he was!! One thing she would say really stands out to me, and maybe this is as close as words can really get to helping someone understand this man. She always said that Jack made her a better person because she could not stand the thought of disappointing him. There is a man of influence.

Of course, Jack DeHart meant a great deal to me too. He drew me closer to God, he was there praying for me when God forever changed my life, and I never would have considered becoming an Elder in the Church or getting involved in ministry without his blessing. I really don't think I would be serving at Heartland Church today if not for his influence on my life. For that, I will be eternally grateful.

Most of you probably didn't know Nancy Daws. Nancy came into Pam's life when she was a little girl. Although Nancy was a close family friend, I guess Pam thought of her more like an aunt. Nancy passed away unexpectedly of a heart attack last week.

As much as anyone on the earth, Nancy was the model for Pam of what a woman ought to be. She was an incredible wife and mother and had a truly infectious personality. Everyone was drawn to Nancy Daws.

I didn't get to know Nancy all that well myself -- I usually saw her once a year at the best Thanksgiving celebration you can imagine!!! But you didn't have to be around Nancy long to see why Pam loved her so much and why she looked up to her. I read through Chapter 5 of Matthew this morning, and was struck by how the Beatitudes were reflected in what I saw of Nancy's life. Nancy was a beautiful woman who made everyone around her feel special. She was a model of Christian humility and, from what I could see, the ultimate peacemaker. Pam said they are expecting around a thousand people to show up for Nancy's funeral. If you knew Nancy at all, you would want to be there too.

When we take time to celebrate the lives of people like Nancy and Jack, its only natural to compare their lives to our own. And that can be painful. Before we beat ourselves up too much, we also need to remember that God can use our flaws and our mistakes to do incredible things. In other words, we cannot change the past -- but God sure knows how to use our past to touch lives in the future. How great is that?

If I have one regret in life it is that I did not answer God's call sooner. I am not talking about getting formally involved in the church, but just getting to a place where I was at least trying to put God first in my life and was not afraid to witness to others through both my words and actions. I have wasted so much time. Thanks to people like Nancy and Jack, I am really trying not to waste any more.

Our season is short. Let's make the most of it.