A friend of mine stepped out of this life and into his eternal home last night.

If you compared the length of our friendship to my age, you would say it wasn’t very long, but it seemed that I had known him forever.

Rob was a believer, a born-again child of God, and that made him my brother. There is a special kinship among God’s children that cannot be faked or completely understood. God’s Spirit joins us and makes us family.

Rob had a smile that lit up a room. He wasn’t in the best of health, but I never heard him complain about feeling bad.  A normal week found him helping at the church, helping friends with home chores, and checking on friends in nearby apartments.

I saw him on Sundays, and I always looked for that smile, and before COVID-19, I could expect a hug from him when we met.

If I had to use one word to describe my impression of Rob, it would be ‘gentle’. His tall frame made him a gentle giant. Soft spoken and thoughtful, he was serious about his faith, serious about his relationship with God, and serious about his friends. His homegoing leaves a hole in our hearts.

I know that we cannot begin to imagine the glory that awaits God’s children when they die, but I believe that last night Rob looked up and saw Jesus. When he started to give Him a hug, Jesus just said, “Come on home, son.” And he did.

I Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Psalm 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

Psalm 68:6 God setteth the solitary in families: