The last two weeks of August I traveled to one of my favorite places: NW Arkansas. It is unique in so many ways because of its diversity and its people. You would think you were in London or New York. The reason is because it is Walmart’s headquarters. I was with leaders in industry, education, athletics, and the church. But what moved me was a young man I came to love and respect, but never personally met face-to-face.
I was asked to speak at Vertical Church, a church plant in Fayetteville. They asked me to speak about the persecuted church. When I arrived into town the pastor and his wife were sitting in Hospice Care with their 15-year old son who had fought brain cancer for about 8 years.
My first response while meeting with one of the elders a week before the scheduled service was, “You need to find someone who knows your congregation well and someone who will be here to walk through this with the people.” His response was simple and direct, “You will do this and God knew you would be here from the beginning of time. He doesn’t make mistakes.”
The week prior to the service I began to know the young man that I would never meet. His whole desire was “that the world would hear the Gospel of Jesus through his life.” He would pray for the nurses who would attend him and he would tell them about Jesus. The nurses were so moved by this young man that they went out and got tattoo’s on the inside of their wrists of the family’s focus: #WeTrust. The last five months of his life he was blind. His mother sat next to his bed days before he would leave this world and said to him, “Titus, soon you will be with Jesus.” He said to his mother, Amy, “No, mom, soon I will see Jesus.” Healed and whole…
The morning I was to speak Titus Grigg died. The worship service that I wanted to step away from was now what I would lead. They sang much and they prayed more. My part was 15 minutes and they said it was “perfect.” As you know, I am not perfect; therefore, I knew that God was completely in control of this. In the end, the congregation was on their knees in tears and in prayer. The spontaneity of the service reminded me of what the church can look like and what the beauty of a gathering of people in worship could feel like.
Titus’ father, Donnie, led the funeral service in front of about a 1000 people. He said, “We never trusted God to heal our son. He did that the day of Titus’ salvation. Yes, we would have liked for God to heal him, but we just wanted God to use our son in any way that would bring attention to Jesus and He has done that.” He told how Titus would tell him that he was “clinging to the cross” and that he was willing to stay, but how much more he was wanting to go home and be with Jesus.
Remember: our life is not our own and it is not the years that allow us to live completely, but rather a yielded life to Jesus Whom #WeTrust.
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