The best of times & the worst of times...

It’s the best of times and the worst of times to be a pastor… this thought kept ringing in my mind as I drove home from the hospital after visiting Curtis. The last statement that Curtis made to me, “It must be the worst time to be a pastor, right Isaac? To have a parishioner like me!” I didn’t have an answer then. Well Curtis! What can one say about him? I have known Curtis for only about a year or so and he had been battling cancer for the last four & a half years. Being a new pastor to DCFC, naturally I paid attention to this man, given his positive and joyful disposition despite what he had been going through. He is a fighter! He is a fighter, that’s what he is! He clearly exemplified this fact to all of us when he had just amputated one of his arms and he was right back at the piano playing for worship – with one arm! This is Curtis for you.

Indeed, it is the worst of time to be a pastor because it hurts so much to see a member of the family suffer, yet it is the best of times because our ministry is about life & death and more importantly, life after death! And we have hope because of what the Lord had done for us. Today as I stood by his bed, staring at his lifeless body, I know our brother is at a much better place. I know because of what the Lord has promised in His Word. I thought about the brief time I had the privilege of getting to know this brother and realized that he taught me how to live. More than being a fighter, he showed me what was truly important and worth living for. I remember one of the last times I visited the hospital. He was talking to Nelson & myself alone in the ward, when he suddenly got agitated, calling out for his wife. I thought he felt some pain or discomfort, but when his wife came in, all he asked for was a hug from her. I remember vividly standing outside his ward, looking in and they were just embracing each other. At the end of his life, this was what truly mattered – his family & those God had placed around him! At that moment, a passage from Scripture came to mind.

Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!"…13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. King Solomon tried to find meaning in life from power, wealth, women, drinking, building great buildings and projects, at the end of his life said that true meaning is only found when we live in fear of the Lord. This means we are to live in accordance to God’s word & for Him. In God’s mind, people always mattered more than things. But sometimes, in the busyness of life, or in the excitement of pursuits in life, I have forgotten this. I think our brother Curtis, to the best that he could, has done this. Unable to wipe out that image of them locked in an embrace, when I got home that day, all I wanted was a hug from my wife…

One life to live, only what is done for God will last…Is this not the best of times and the worst of times to be a pastor?