We Have To Stop Meeting Like This

I met a most amazing guy recently. He was full of life and a desire to follow hard after God. He loved music and people. I left this encounter wishing that I could know him better.

Sadly, I met him at his funeral. He went to my church and I noticed him. He looked to me to be a passionate worshiper and a man who knew exactly how much he needed God.

And – I can say that I am poorer for not knowing him better. There always seemed to be something more important than going over to him to say hello after church. Not that “hello” would have been enough. I say “hello” all the time – but how often do I really mean it? It’s often just a deflection to get to the water fountain before the sermon starts or the bathroom ... or a person I’d rather talk to.

And so, it wasn’t until his funeral that I learned that just over there – on the side wall of the Church – not too close and not too far away – there was this guy that I needed to know better.

A friend of mine once said that you learn something from everyone. What did I learn from this man? The only time I ever saw him was at church and at his funeral. And, here’s what he taught me:

Passionate worship comes from the secure belief that you need God more than God needs you. This guy praised like someone who knew that he needed God to take his next breath, his next step and that’s something that I will always take with me.

His funeral taught me something else:

I need to be more “out there”; looking for people to meet and know. I’ll do that in the hopes that I never meet someone so special at their funeral. This is not really "me". I'm a relatively shy person and am often uncomfortable meeting new people. I have like three score excuses to hide behind a shallow "hello" and keep moving. But none of them really hold up to any kind of examination. Church has to be something more than a clique of people who you really like and a bunch of other people who you hang out with a couple of hours a week.

Andy

Listening to: Jennifer Knapp, Kansas