What about You....a message of challenge from Cathy Guthrie,
Joshua's mother
I feel: wounded, torn, broken-hearted, deep
abiding pain, like I cannot breathe, like life will never be normal
again. I admit to feeling cheated of sharing the bench marks of his life
(marriage, children, triumphs in ministry). I admit to wondering why,
although God is giving me the grace to accept silence in that area. I
miss my son.
I know: that my faith and trust in God is
firm, that my hope is secure. I know my redeemer lives and that God is
on His throne. I know that Josh is safe and happy and I will hold him
again. I know that God walks through this with me and understands my
pain. I know that God is in control and I know He has a purpose and a
plan.
Josh was passionate about all that he did,
from the biggest and best prank to helping people, to flying planes, to
walking with Jesus. Wherever he was there was a party. Wherever he went
he lit up the room. He loved people—all people—from senior citizens to
babies, from intellectuals to the mentally challenged, from the whole to
the hurting. He could relate to all and he never met a stranger—only
future friends. His life may have been short but he lived it to all the
height and depth and breadth that he could. He wrote in a profile on
himself:
"Jesus says in John 15. "Remain in me,
and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must
remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in
him he will bear much fruit: apart from me you can do nothing.
Humbling. Yes I am afraid so… But I have
to begin by humbling myself if I’m ever going to move from gutless
Christian to standing firm in Christ every day. If I want to stop
complaining about my inconsistencies and do something about them, I need
to get on my knees and fight like a man. I need to sit and soak in Gods
word regularly ,at length and with a pen in my hand. I need to pray Gods
word and fast(yes the snackpack fast). Yes I need to allow myself to get
weaker physically to get stronger spiritually. His strength is made
perfect in my weakness. I need to give and give sacrificially. Worship
God with my lips AND hands.
Josh ends with this prayer:
May my worship dear god, cause me to
perspire for your glory. Clean me up, fill me up, and send me out!!! I
drop my trinkets and trivial pursuits and offer myself to you again
today. Remain in me and do what only you can do through me. In Jesus
ever present name I pray, amen…amen.
For him it was not enough to believe that God
exists and that as long as you are a "good person" do as you like with
your life. NO, he felt the only option is a life lived full out for God.
This is what I feel and what I know to be
trustworthy and true. And I know God has a purpose and a plan for all
that has happened. I have just one question: Are YOU the purpose and the
reason for this being a part of God’s plan. Are you sitting on the fence
and Josh’s story and legacy is that you get off that fence and become
one of the many that God moves into telling His story to the world. Not
necessarily as missionary pilot, or preacher. But wherever you are, in
whatever vocation. A teacher passionate about serving God in the
classroom, a nurse passionate about serving the hurting, a student
passionate about walking closer and closer with Jesus. Be totally sold
out for God. This is not a bad thing—look at his face, see the joy
radiating out from him. Don’t you want to have that look on your face.
Don’t you want your family and friends to have the ability to say that
without a doubt they know where you are when you come to the end of your
life. Don’t you want them to take pride in saying "he/she walked
passionately with Jesus? Be a part of Gods purpose and plan. That will
make this pain I feel worth it all.
