“Hey doc!”

Recognizing the voice, I turned and saw a friend who’d invaded my office. I’ve know Leroy for more than five years; we’ve had some interesting health adventures together. He’s 69 and has been through some tough times.

He’d just been thrown into a tougher one.

“How’s it going?”

“Doc, I just eulogized my son…”

That was an odd sentence. My brain screamed that something wasn’t right in those words he’d just used.

With very little prodding, Leroy quickly spills the facts: he’d discovered his 39 year old son dead in his apartment; he’d actually died a week prior; the medical examiner still hadn’t examined the body, didn’t know the cause of death, and couldn’t return the body for burial. Yesterday marked a week of waiting; they’d had a memorial service without the body. He felt almost compelled to come to my office and didn’t know why.

Wow!

I had him to sit down, him protesting the whole time that he didn’t want to interfere with my day. We talked, prayed and laughed (yes, laughed) for an hour. With tears running down both of our faces, he beamed one of the biggest smiles I’ve ever seen and simply said, “Doc, thank you for showing me Jesus today.”

Wow, again!

I’m a nobody. Really. I have no super powers, I fumble through my daily activities. I struggle to make ends meet. But this man, in his pain, wanted to be with me. Me! Because he said he knew he’d be with Jesus.

I’m humbled…

My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me…  Paul