Reunion
The one thing you notice when you go to a high school reunion is that there are a lot of old people there! Reunions all start out the same with people straggling in, THEN the backslaps and hugs follow, with the greetings and how-are-you’s, what-are-you-doing-now’s. A few comments about retirement and travels and grandkids. Not long after that, the reminiscing starts. Laughter, those knowing looks as they see the scene play out in the back of their minds. Ah, the memories!
My husband’s 50th class reunion was like all the others before, with this small group of twenty-nine classmates and their spouses. There were originally eighty-six in their class, twenty-one have since passed away. This hodgepodge group of mountain folks grew up together and were a closeknit group. There are a couple of guys who never married, one had been homeless, another lives in a shack. Then there are the CEOs and PhDs, garage owners, educators, and everything in between--a mixture of white-collar and blue-collar workers. I’d venture to say that your class has a similar makeup.
After an hour of chatting and standing around, it was time to eat. Anthony was going to ask the blessing but before he did, Darhyl had something to say. He hadn’t planned to talk, he explained, but talk he did! He told them about how they’d grown up together for twelve years and he loved them then. This one helped him with his math equations, that one helped him with English and notecards. He couldn’t have gone as far as he did without them.
Then he told them that he loved them more now, after fifty years, than he could ever imagine. And because he loved them, he wanted to see every one of them in heaven, coming across that shore. His relationship with Christ was the most important thing he had, and he prayed that they would have that, too, if they didn’t already. He spoke for a good five minutes about it. He said, “I want you to remember two words. BE. THERE. If you haven’t made that decision to ask Christ to forgive you of your sins and ask Him to be your Savior, I hope it is like a rock in your shoe that reminds you every step you take that you need to do that.” And then Darhyl told them again that he didn’t plan to say anything. Oh, the power of what he said! You could have heard a pin drop! Then Seth started clapping and everyone joined in. I must say, it was a God-moment indeed.
What happens when we step out in faith, especially around people that we don’t want to offend because we value their friendship, yet do it anyway? Are we willing to take the risk? Darhyl told me afterwards that he didn’t know what came over him, he just knew he had to speak. I told him that when the Holy Spirit prompts us, we have to obey. Whether or not he sees the results of that little gospel presentation or not, God sees.
There’s a lot of love in that group, enough for someone like me who was never in school with any of them but has always felt accepted. Randy and I exchange Christmas cards with a few of them yearly and now we have plans to get together in the future for social gatherings as couples. But we’re like Darhyl, we want to see every one of them “coming across the shore” in heaven. Who is the Holy Spirit prompting you to prayerfully encourage to BE THERE? That is the most important thing, after all.
