Roy was a godly man of small stature.
We first met him when we were moving into our parsonage in the hills
of Virginia. He helped us with boxes and was a friendly face in a
new place. We learned to love Roy as we worshiped together. I think
the Lord was especially close to Roy because he couldn't read. So
the Lord visited him on a regular basis as they had fellowship
together. Occasionally he would see visions of angels. His dear
wife read the Bible to him for the 50 plus years they were married.
This Godly man taught me lessons on faith, prayer, and how an
unlearned man can exceed his educational limitations and soar to
heavenly heights in this life. Roy was ready that night he suffered
a heart attack and God took him home to heaven. At his funeral I was
asked to sing a duet with my friend Eva Ketner. When we sang the
verse in the hymn, How Great Thou Art, that begins . . .When Christ
shall come with shout of acclamation And lead me home, what joy shall
fill my heart. . . his widow, Gertrude, began shouting with joy. She
knew he was with Jesus and she would see him again someday.
Paul walked with an unstable gait and
used his cane as he came into our church in Altoona. His smile was
broad and his heart was huge. Paul spoke with difficulty and
stammered some. But when you got to know him, you could understand
most of what he said. He was sharp mentally and his cerebral palsy
didn't keep him down. He was always anxious to attend church and
would testify to God's goodness. When we had revival Paul would
often invite the evangelist and Steve and I to his home for lunch.
He would have the table set and the food ready for me to help him get
it on the table. Paul even traveled with us to Florida to attend a
camp meeting once. He was humorous and enjoyed teasing at times.
He used his 50 plus years of wisdom to get a nice apartment and
hosted the men's Bible Study occasionally. I learned so much from
Paul. I learned there are various types of cerebral palsy and not
all victims of this illness have the same disabilities. Paul loved
the Lord and I was blessed to know him and I look forward to seeing
him in heaven, walking the streets of gold with no disabilities and
praising the Lord without a stammering tongue.
There is a special thirty-some thing
young man in our church here in Chambersburg. Kelby was born with
Down Syndrome. He is a Philadelphia Eagles fan and he loves the
Dukes of Hazard. Kelby works on his uncle's dairy farm. He serves as
an usher at our church and is a friendly greeter to those he meets.
Kelby is such an inspiration as he worships his Lord. Sometimes he
comes down to the end of the aisle near the altar and kneels, lifting
his arms up in praise to God. It blesses my heart when I see him.
Sometimes he puts me to shame. How am I worshiping? Am I
comfortable openly being demonstrative in worship? I believe that
Kelby is a lover of God and it shows. We are blessed to have him as
part of our family of God. I can learn much by his example.
Who is in your life that you can learn
from? The lady next door? The man across the street? The child
sitting in front of you in church? Take a moment and look around
you. See what life lessons you can learn and then adopt them to your
life. You will be richer indeed.
Special thanks to my husband, Steve, who helped jog my memory for this blog post.
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