Billy's gone!
Our friend and brother in Jesus Christ died in his sleep sometime in the early hours of Monday morning (10th December). His name was Billy, he was about my age and he was such a lovely soul. We aren’t devastated though we’re shocked because at the Sunday assembly he was in his usual exuberant and very much alive spirit and then, without warning, gone in the night.
I don’t know if there’s an easier way for Death to come calling for us than when we’re in a deep sleep and I can’t avoid saying that we’re all pleased he didn’t suffer long with some painful and emotionally destructive disease. Still, there is now and will be for a while an awful ache, something will be gone from our tiny assembly and this Sunday (God allowing us one) we’re going to feel the burden to be a burden.
He was always there; always positive, always trying to please and always sensitive to what was going on around him. We think we knew him—and so we did—but there’s a day coming when Jesus comes and makes this world better and brings Billy with him. I fully expect to see someone of inexpressible beauty and honour and we’ll know then that what we knew was only the lovely curtain thrown around the man. The glory that was him couldn’t fully show itself in his limited physical and social make-up.
Still, the ache’s there right now.
Ah Death, to hell with you!
©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.