Special friend remembered...

In my bio I made mention of losing a dear friend. It was 6 months ago last Saturday. I was deeply impacted by his life. The following are my thoughts and feelings about him. I praise God for the difference he made in my life and the things I am aware of now because of my relationship with him.

It has been six months since Jake Chissie died of an accidental overdose. My heart still aches for his laugh, his voice, and the smile on his face. I see his family still dealing with the trauma of his seemingly unfortunate departure.

But, here’s the deal. Jake was a mighty man of God. When I think of David’s mighty men in scripture I think Jake would have fit right in. He wasn’t perfect. He had major struggles and major pains. He had, hmmm, a heart like David. Always wanting to do right by the Lord and yet… mistake ridden in his performance.

Who, in your life, is a mighty man or woman of God? Are they falling all over the place, sinning and wounding you? Are they so wadded up in a ball of grief and despair that they have isolated themselves from life? God has a purpose for their presence on this planet in this time. They need to hear the Love of Jesus in your actions and not in your words or judgmental attitude.

Some people knew Jake as funny, athletic, and full of spunk. Others knew of his deep internal struggles and passionate faith in Jesus. He was a true hunk in every sense; strong, passionate, driven, deep in thoughts, and light in laughter. That is who he was. That is who God designed him to be. Did he fulfill his destiny? Absolutely. We will never know this side of Heaven the lives that were impacted by his life.

Only God knows each of our days. He knows the mistakes we will make before we make them. He knows the people in our life that will be there to celebrate with, to hurt, to laugh, to cry, to mourn, to sing right alongside us. Are you standing back or are you alongside someone who needs you? Are you trusting God with the people He put in your life and asking Him what your responsibility is in those relationships?

There are many men and women out there who are mighty in the Lord and do not realize the call on their lives and the incredible destiny that awaits them. Will you tell them? Will you encourage them to seek another’s help? Or will you ask God if you are to help them? Christ-followers and those who are still seeking both need to know about the never ending love of Christ. Both need to hear your encouragement, receive your prayers, and be blessed by the Body of Christ (the church). Judging them by only what you see or hear is not going to cause them to be embraced by the kind of Love that Christ has for us. He DIED. He loved so much He died. He calls us to die to ourselves and our understanding so we can freely pour out His love for the many out there who still don’t believe in the core of their being that they are priceless treasures in the eyes of God.

Jake was no different than the rest of us, except he was uniquely Jake. You and I have a destiny, unique to us. Will we walk toward God? Will we allow our struggles to dictate our response to life? Will we remember how important it is to laugh and bring joy to others? Will we really believe that we are mighty in the Lord – whether we can see through our present circumstances or not – to the destiny we have been called to in Christ.