His Light

"Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had Father Abraham.  And I am one of them and so are you, so let's just praise the Lord!"  I can just see Joshua as a little boy singing this children's song and doing the motions.  "Right hand, left hand, turn around, sit down!" as he collapsed in a heap on the ground.

We were in the yard on this glorious autumn day for a family Thanksgiving in the south, and all the grandchildren were playing outside after the big meal. The video captured the memories. When the other kids dropped out of the singspiration for other pursuits, Joshua was the last man standing as his uncle plunked out the tune on the guitar.

The years flew swiftly, and as his brothers and sisters left home to establish families of their own, our grandson was left to be his father's helper and right hand man.  Joshua  especially liked feeding the chickens and gathering eggs.  He had a special affinity for the animals he fed and cared for.  The impressions they made on him were reflected in the artistic sculptures that flowed from the clay in his gifted hands.

Some people have the gift for noticing things. Josh was one of them.  When I think about it, I realize that this is one of the great joys in life: to appreciate nature and its marvelous complexities.  The elm tree that holds approximately  six million leaves.  The wonder of the intelligence and personality of animals. The miracle of food that pops out of the ground from a tiny seed.

All of God's creation is amazing. David says in Psalm 8:3, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man that thou art mindful of him? and in Psalm 19:1-3, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard."

Romans 1:20, "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

Since Joshua couldn't go to his younger brother's wedding, he took Zachariah aside and prayed an eloquent prayer over him, asking for the Lord's blessing over his marriage, safety for his journey and health for his body.  He quoted scripture over him and blessed him.

Now that Joshua is gone, we all realize what a blessing he was.  Was he perfect? No. But he was endowed with special qualities and gifts given to him by his Creator.  And he, himself, was a gift we were privileged to have for almost 29 years. We miss him.