The Great Recycler

God works in incredible ways that are often not the ways we would have chosen.

As some of you know we lost our son Seth in January of this year. The diagnosis was SIDS. This has been by no means easy and there are no clear cut answers for why The Lord allows suffering into our lives. However, I am here to tell you that even though suffering comes (and come it will) The Lord is able to make good of any situation and use it for your healing, the good of others and to bring glory to God.

I want to tell you one of the many ways that The Lord has brought about good through the death of my son. I will never forget this encounter, I will tell it to my dying day.

I have been going into the jail on 33rd st since my son died this year. I go in about once a month and I participate in a Bible study every week that involves some men who have come out of the jail on 33rd. 

When I go into the jail I usually walk through a section of scripture with the men there. There is typically somewhere between 20-30 men who participate in this. It involves some teaching and a lot of discussion. I share my struggles with them and I am very open and honest with them.

When I meet with men for the Bible study I also share my struggles with them as we study through what the Bible says.

Recently there have been a few new people that have joined us. When new people come we usually take time to go around and introduce ourselves, give a little bit of our backstory, and share what we are currently struggling with.

After I had shared my past and how Jesus has changed my life I shared that I had recently lost my son in January and how I struggle with that everyday. How I am different...how I am sad...frequently.

As I finished speaking, one of the men (who was new to the group) looked up at me and said, "I know you. I've met you before."

This took me off guard to say the least. I don't remember ever meeting this man before.

He said, "You visited me while I was in prison and you shared with us how you lost your Son but how you could still feel God's love and how you still loved Him. I couldn't get you out of my head. I went to bed at night thinking of you. I couldn't figure out how you could lose so much and still love God. I figured He must be an awesome God. I wanted to get to know this God.

I knew what church you went to so as soon as I got out I looked it up. You are the reason that I'm here."

This man has recently given his life to Jesus. He has recently been baptized along with his wife. He is falling more in love with Jesus everyday, even through the messiness that life brings.

I tell this story not to make much of me or my family, but to point towards how great a God we serve.

My son lived 3 months and my wife and I miss him every day, but even through this terrible loss The Lord used the 3 months that my son lived to change the eternity of a man and his wife.

There is no evil, no pain, no despair, no thing, that Jesus cannot redeem. He is the great Redeemer, the great Recycler.

The Lord takes what is ashes, what is ruined, and turns it into a crown of beauty. -Is 61:3