May 22, 2008 - John & God's Kingdom
I have a friend, John, that is near the end of a fight with cancer.
His wife Margie has a blog about their experience. It is interesting, funny, poignant, and significant. In one of the last entries, she talked about how although John's body is quickly failing, his inner self is growing and strengthening.
A conversation had brought up an old terrifying memory from his childhood. Through prayer, God was able to put His peace over top of the memory and change its present effects. God's Kingdom just expanded in John's heart.
I don't know why God wants John to walk this road - and be taking his wife and young children along as he travels. My heart hurts for their hurt. And yet in this, John Fawcett is calling us - like John the Baptist did - to continued preparation of our hearts for God's Kingdom.
I was reading parts of the blog to Melanie yesterday morning. This frustrated her because she had things she had to do, and felt that I was asking her to stop, and stand still to listen each time I started to read.
I thought I was sharing some significance with her through the reading. Yes, it was significant; but she did not know John, so the meaning was not the same. Then I saw that I was like the gentle people that regularly forward emails they think are funny, cute or have important warnings about computer viruses. I was not really helping things. I was not expressing God's kind of love; I was not expanding God's Kingdom. Instead, I was repeating the memory of someone else's work to expand the Kingdom.
Instead of that, I should be taking that illustration of someone else's growth and finding out how I can grow to be more like Christ. I should find a way to better express Godly sacrificial love in my own life. I shouldn't just be relaying the experience, but be looking for a way to incorporate it into me. I should be growing God's Kingdom.
I got to know John in High School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Because our school was relatively small, we were friends, though he was not in my grade. John was smart, funny, and a music nerd - wow, could he play piano. His technical ability in music was much better than mine.
I had lost contact regarding John until I found out about John & Margie's blogs: - such is the life of of alumni of an internationally-based school. God had done great things in John's life. And He is continuing to do His good work.
Update 5/27: John passed away this morning. I will see him later in heaven!