A life lived in the presence of God
Rare is the encounter with a soul so profoundly created and graced with the smile of God’s love that its mere presence seismically disrupts your being to its very core. Few souls are capable of perceptibly altering the established course of one’s life, and yet, such an encounter inevitably leaves a life forever changed. It is a memory permanently inscribed upon the tendrils of the mind, a song sung so purely that its music breaks the heart with its aching melody.
Journey of Life
Life is a journey toward an imagined destination that exists just beyond an indistinct, far off horizon. We do not travel the road of life in isolation. No matter the length of the journey, we cannot avoid encounters with other souls. Most encounters are but brief translucent whispers, leaving but the gentlest reminder of their intrusion upon the soul; a mote of memory relegated to an all too soon forgotten corner of the mind. And yet every soul will, on rare occasion, come into communion with another soul, whom God has so completely filled, so as to be compelled to bend the knee in wonderment and prayer.
I was reminded recently of an encounter with such a soul and his passing two years ago. He was an amazing man with a soul seldom met in any lifetime. He was one of those rare and special souls and I thank God every day for sending him to alter the course of my life.
It was not through any words that were ever spoken, but the life so lived in the presence of God that made the encounter with him so life-changing. Like the dawn of a new day, every encounter brought new light and clarity to the unforeseen choices and new opportunities that lay before this poor soul. His very act of living gave perfect evidence to what it means to evangelize, of living the Gospel every moment of every day, and of being a member of the body of Christ. Every breath he took was for the glory of God. He bore Christ on his sleeve and in his heart, openly, honestly, and proudly.
It may seem somehow strange to reflect upon his passing by using a quote from a Star Trek movie but I believe it expresses it so eloquently. It is Kirk’s eulogy of Spock: “We are assembled here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. And yet it should be noted, in the midst of our sorrow, this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most … human.”
Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most … human. I loved and love him dearly and miss him terribly but am lifted up with joy in knowing that he is now watching over those he loved so much, in the presence of Almighty and Ever-loving God.
Thank you, Wesley Fach, for opening the door of my soul to God.
