Dear Art,
I have had the flu bug over the last week and my brain
hasn’t worked too well. I know that you had a stroke and will be at Banner
Desert Hospital for some time. I know that you are mad at the doctors and
probably even me, God and anyone you could hit because of not being able to
talk, swallow or eat. I know that your life hasn’t been the best since I have
met you. I want you to think about the bigger questions about life so this is
why I’m writing you a letter. You can read it and re-read it after I’m gone or
you can pitch it in the trash.
I will always remember the first time that our paths crossed
and another friend of mine, James, remember he’s bald, asked you about painting
your house. You were pretty quick to say NO or actually it was HELL NO. Little
did you know that I was just as stubborn as you. I didn’t give up asking and
after three times you said yes.
I know that you didn’t expect me to probably come back after
we painted the house. Yet, God laid it on my heart to bug the hell out of you
so heaven can enter into you! It has been fun having different groups come over
to help. We have painted your house a couple of times. We did the pink trim in
the front along with the pink handprints. We also did your ramp and had someone
fix your evaporative cooler.
I had a few groups of younger kids from a Christian School
come to clean up your dog mess in the backyard and whack the weeds or grass.
Each time one of these groups would come over we would talk about why they were
doing this and their hope, my hope that you would come to know God through
Jesus Christ in a personal relationship.
I know that if I were in your shoes and couldn’t talk,
swallow or eat that I might not want to live either. I don’t have any guarantee
about this present life except for the fact that all of us are getting old and
will die. The question is what happens after you die? What will happen if you
refuse to eat or drink and the doctors agree with your desires?
I want you to come to know the one who does understand you
the most and ultimately feels your pain. It is in times like this that what is
most important in life comes to the forefront. I believe that God sent me into
your neighborhood to be a friend, not at STRANGER over these last 4 years. I
haven’t been the best friend but I have popped in often enough to see that old
Art is still Art.
I know that you are a person who has cared for lots of stray
animals and people. I also know that you have given to help others to a point
where it hurt your situation. The one who has truly given his all for you is
Jesus Christ. He is the one who has lived a perfect life in the face of
rejection, slander, physical pain and then death for you and me. I deserve to
be judged by God for failing to recognize His part in my life. I want the
credit and glory when it all belongs to God. Jesus ends up taking the
punishment I deserve for breaking God’s laws.
My hope is that you will scream out to God and ask the WHY
question and for help. I can’t heal you or change your circumstances. I do know
that God is more than able to give you the ability to swallow, talk and use
your hands. I also know that he can help you have a better outlook on life
regardless of the outcome. The question is whether you are willing to ask for
his help and become his child and follower?
Art ever time our paths would cross you would say to me, “Don’t
be a stranger!”. My hope is that God will now say to you, “Art you are no
longer a stranger to me but my son and my friend!”
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