Noah

A young man in our community went to Heaven on Saturday.  I don’t just mean that he passed away.  I really mean that he went to Heaven.  His faith in and reliance on Christ gives me this certainty.  Those of us who knew him are finding much comfort in this, even as we grieve with his family and friends.

Knowing Noah has been a blessing.  When I met him, he was already in a fierce battle with cancer.  Even though he was sick from chemo, he went to camp with the rest of the band to learn the half-time show.  The sun was strong on the field and while several of the musicians swooned, Noah kept on marching.  During the week, he did sit out just a few times – each time, we chaperones could sense how much he wished he didn’t have to.  He’d sit quietly, eyes focused on his “spot” in the show, not wasting even a moment.  And then as soon as he could, he’d pick himself up and head back out to the field.

It is not easy to find the words to aptly express the effect that Noah had on me, but I want to get it right, because it is important.  It was as though the veil that separates Heaven and Earth was thinner when Noah was around.  Heaven was closer by – as though Noah stood by the window and would lift the shade so I could see Heaven…God… Jesus.  The sight of him, (and even now, the thought of him) would immediately strip away my earthly cares and cause me to marvel at God’s faithfulness and goodness.   The emotional walls we sometimes build crumbled around Noah, because they simply don’t matter –  and Noah knew what really mattered.  Maybe that is what I am wanting to say – that it was impossible to hold on to anything that doesn’t matter in Noah’s presence.  What an amazing gift.

There are many people whose lives have been made richer, and whose faith has been strengthened by knowing Noah Spivey.  Lord, help us to remember what he showed us and to share the gift with those we meet.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.  – John 1:12

Oh, I know to be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord,
and from what I know of him, that must be very good. – Sara Groves