When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.
- Traditional Indian saying

This weekend I went to a funeral/”Celebration of Life” for a friend of mine. Scott was the Youth Pastor at the church we have been attending for several months. To say that Scott was full of life would be something of an understatement; kind of like saying Las Vegas is a nice little truck stop in the dessert! Even when he was tired from an all-nighter with the youth, Scott had more life and enthusiasm than many people I know.

His obituary in the newspaper said he left behind a wife and a two-year-old son. The other day there was a church full of people who have found themselves orphaned by his absence. There was an entire church full of people this young man had touched. Even before the service started I found myself being overwhelmed by the realization of the impact this person had on so many lives.

I know during the brief time my family knew him; he had an impact on our lives as well. My children couldn’t wait to go to the Children’s Church service he led during the “grown up” church service. He bonded immediately with my wife when he realized they had grown up in the same part of Ohio. He and I laughed – not that is unusual I think most people will remember Scott laughing. I introduced him to blogging. He really liked the idea of being able to create an online diary he could use to possibly reach out to other people. We are just one family who knew him for a relatively short time. I cannot imagine the sense of loss felt by those who knew him longer and more intimately.

My daughter said that perhaps God thought Scott had told enough jokes on earth and it was time for him to tell his jokes in heaven. In Matthew 18:3 Jesus said that you must enter the kingdom of heaven as a child. Well, most people would agree that Scott was just a big kid. So on that point alone I’m sure he is in heaven!

But after having some time to reflect, I thought of this saying. Scott was gone and there was an entire community of people teary-eyed saying good-bye. Even though it truly was a celebration of his life and we all smiled and laughed, we also cried because we will miss a wonderful friend. Yet at the same time he is in heaven with the God he loved and I am sure he is rejoicing.

For What Its Worth, I think Scott really did know how to live and in a world of false heroes, his life was a shining example we can all learn from. You can still get to know him through his blog, just click on the link (or if that doesn’t work, just copy and paste it into your address bar).

http://www.gettingtoknowwhoiam.blogspot.com/