A Man Named Joe

Have you ever been profoundly personally touched and inspired by someone you barely even knew?  I’m not talking about someone famous, but a very ordinary guy.  I went to the memorial yesterday for a man named Joe.  I met Joe only twice before he lost his battle earlier this week to cancer.  He was a husband, father, friend and fellow worker.  But more than that, he was a man who spent his life making treasure.

I listened to person after person – 3 children, 8 brothers and sisters, sister-in-law and small group member – share their stories about Joe and his incredible impact upon their lives.  This was a man who clearly spent his time and energy quietly and gently pouring into the lives of those around him.  He created treasure, the kind people store up in their hearts, the kind that doesn’t leave you, but instead grows sweeter and more precious with time.  I was moved, stirred in my soul by a man who loved so well that the treasures he created came tumbling out with each loving remembrance.  At the end of the service, it was as if his beautiful treasure filled the room, like something out of an Indiana Jones movie.  And nobody wanted to leave.  That is a life well lived.

Two emotions flooded my heart as I sat there, soaking in the sweetness of his treasure.  First, I felt somewhat cheated, robbed of the opportunity to know this man better, to be blessed by the treasure he so loved to create.  Second, I felt a profound longing, a deep desire to create treasure.  After seeing what was created by a lifetime of loving by this ordinary Joe, I want to live a life that will result in that type of legacy.  After seeing treasure like his, I’m challenged to examine the kind of treasure that I’m building in the lives of those I love.

I may have only met him a couple of times, but I was enormously blessed by Joe’s life.  Some day, my family and friends will gather to share stories about me.  I pray that God will give me strength and courage to create priceless treasure.