A Dear One Goes Home

I received this article from a friend. Neither of us know who wrote it, nor could we ask permission to post it. After I dried my tears...or at least most of them, I thought it was to important to simply keep in my inbox. And for those at CBC who are praying for this family and remember their dear family singing in our church this past Feb. I knew you would find it dear to your heart as well.

Dear Friends,
Last night my Pastors firstborn son Tyler died in a car accident. Tyler was a godly 17 year old boy who played on the basketball team at the school affiliated with the church. Tyler just came back from church camp and said that God had encouraged his heart to make a commitment to reserve his body for the Lord. After Tyler was born my pastor and his wife had 7 miscarriages before any of their other 7 children were born. Tyler was a fine young man who honored his father and mother and loved the Lord. Tyler was very excited that God had used his evangelism to lead people to Christ. He wanted to go to Bible college and become a school teacher.
Today my pastor John Wilkerson, came to victory club, where we meet to go out soul winning, and with a smile on his face asked for them to play the song day by day. He then proceeded to thank God for his son, that he loved God, honored his parents and that he had been blessed with him for 17 years. He thanked God that he repented of his sins when he was 10 years old, and that he was born again and had assurance of eternal life through the word and promises of God. He thanked God that Tyler had such a good summer working at camp and growing in Christ. He assured us all that Tyler died at the right time, that it was not to soon but it was God’s perfect time. He said that he and his family would only visit one person today, a fellow who was terminally ill to comfort him. He said he and his wife needed to spend more time with the other children. But he said that he did not want any of us to slow down our service to Christ, he wanted us to increase it. He asked only that people might be willing to help house relative who would come for the funeral. He was not aware that the men in the church already decided to pay for hotel rooms for his family. At this point he wept, and thanked God again
I have learned alot from my pastor probably the thing that I have learned the most is to be thankful for what God gives us. Pastor is always thinking of things that he is thankful for and always desiring to give thanksgiving offerings to God. The church secretary told me that the family decided wear sweaters and sleep with bigger blankets so they could save money on the heating bill to give more money to missions as a way of saying thank you to God. I found out that he had worn a pair of shoes out to the point of having holes in the bottoms of them because he wanted to give more to God. His never talks as if he is making a sacrifice he is a cheerful person and a cheerful giver. Today he cheerfully gave his son back to God. I have met people who make sacrifices but fail to do it cheerfully or joyfully. I have met people who go through trials with strength knowing it is a part of life and God has the right to do as he sees fit, but I have met very few people who manage to do all this cheerfully with genuine thankfulness. Pastor John is not like that he gives to the Lord out of gratitude and cheerfully.
Those of you who know Jesus, please remember Pastor John Wilkerson of First Baptist Church of Long Beach and his family in prayer, but the truth is I think most of us need more prayer than they do. I know I should be more thankful for what God has given me. I should be a cheerful giver, who is always seeing the many reasons to be thankful and looking for more ways to give. He would regularly give offering to missions just to say thank you to God. He pointed out to me that in the OT when people worshipped they brought a sacrifice, including a thanksgiving offering. His view was that if he put his treasures in heaven they would be safe there, and more importantly his heart would be there. I pray that I could cheerfully accept the trials in my life that Pastor John and his family does, that I could be thankful always. In my trials sometimes I have complained I have felt sorry for myself, and I have focused on what I don’t have rather than what I God has given me. Many times I have not trusted God, I thak God for my pastor being a good example.
God Bless you,
Love Walter