Jesus: The Best Medicine

On October 12th, we buried my son Jesse in the Elliston cemetery. His four brothers, sister, nine nieces and nephews, and over 100 friends came to support my wife Lisa and me. Since August 6th, our lives have been full of grief, tears, laughter, and faith. The emotional roller-coaster of losing a child unexpectedly, with no known cause, is indescribably painful. Many of you, unfortunately, know this pain. It has made me reflect on how I’ve responded in past years when friends experienced this difficult journey. I would do things so differently now.

In times like these, the reality of our family’s Christian faith has shone the brightest. We have cried buckets of tears over Jesse’s death. We’ve wrestled with the question: how? How did he die when there are no answers yet? What emotional pain was he hiding from us, perhaps due to the harassment of the IRS over an old tax burden or the pressure of medical bills and collectors? He was making progress with these challenges, working a good job, and enjoying life in many ways. Lying on his bed before work, he appeared as if he had just laid back and fallen asleep. But it was the sleep of eternal rest my beloved son had entered. Nothing suspicious indicated how his life ended.

Yes, he had struggles — we all do. But Jesse kept his challenges close to his chest, not wanting to burden his family, friends, or the co-workers he had grown close to. So they, too, are struggling, perhaps even more so with the question of "why?" That question is one his family has consciously left in God's hands. Jesse was a unique creation of God. Psalm 139:13-18 tells us:

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you."

He was a masterpiece of God’s design, made in His image (Genesis 1:26), made to love and glorify God by reverencing Him (Ecclesiastes 12:13). His mom and I were chosen to steward that little boy into becoming a man who, at the age of 27, gave his life to Jesus. He gave a good testimony of his faith to friends and family. The Bible he owned and the journal he kept showed that a Jesus-centered faith was alive and growing in his life. Yet, like most of us, he struggled with things — like forgiving himself for his mistakes and feeling he had disappointed the people he loved. He needed to remember that God forgives all our sins and chooses to remember them no more (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17; Jeremiah 31:34).

Jesse’s love for life and people was evident to all who knew him. I mourn the loss of all the things we will never do together again. He loved fishing, hunting, motorcycles, eating, and so much more. I know he loved us, and he knew we loved him. But we take great comfort in knowing that, being absent from his body, he is present with his Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). All that God had for Jesse to accomplish was complete. Perhaps, like Samson, God will use Jesse’s death in a far greater way to show forth His power and majesty, love, and faithfulness. Maybe Jesse will lead more of his friends to faith in Jesus in death than he ever could in life.

I ponder many things about this void in my heart, but as Jesse did in the fall of 2019, and as I did on May 9, 1971, today I choose to serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). My prayer is that you will, too. Voting for the most Biblical candidate and position on issues like choosing life is important, but it pales in comparison to asking Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and receiving Him as Lord and Savior. Would you call upon the Lord today and be saved? If you haven’t received Jesus as Savior, why not do so today? Call with questions or come visit us Sunday mornings at 10:30 in Wolf Creek at Church.

Dave Carroll is an area missionary with InFaith, America’s oldest Christian home mission agency. He is also pastor of the Wolf Creek Baptist Church. You can contact Dave at 406.459.8935 or [email protected].