“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” – I Corinthians 11:1
This past Thanksgiving, Laurie and I were packing up to head to the beach for some much-needed time away. Our boys, now in college, were going to meet us there a few days later. As we were in the process of planning and packing, Laurie received a text message that Luke was in the hospital and not doing well. Laurie, being the planner, turns to me and says, “It will be a couple of hours out of the way to stop by and see him. What do you want to do?” Without hesitation, I respond, “I need to go see him.”
When Laurie and I moved to Murfreesboro, we were only a couple of years into our marriage, with one child and Laurie pregnant with our second. At the time, Laurie was staying home with the children, but being a stay-at-home mom, she was craving community with other women. Shortly after we arrived in Murfreesboro, she found out about a ministry call CBS (Community Bible Study). This ministry was ideal for the season of life we were in. Laurie could bring our boys, and they all would be in age-appropriate classrooms and taught the Word by godly ladies. This gave Laurie the opportunity to be in a large group setting with other women and then break out into small groups. It was like a Christian sorority for sisters, and it’s safe to say my wife found her people.
But what does this have to do with going to visit a guy named Luke?
A couple of years into Laurie attending CBS, the teaching director found out I was serving as a youth pastor. She extended the invitation for me to take the middle and high school students and provide some structured programming for them. Of course, I say yes because my wife is loving her time at CBS. During my first week there, I am thinking, well, this is going to be awkward because I am going to be the only adult guy in the building. But to my surprise, as the morning concludes, all the leaders circle up together to debrief. And in walks another dude! My eyes gravitate to him. He is well-built for his age (looks to be close to 70) with light gray hair and glasses. With his friendly posture, I immediately make my way over to him. I introduce myself, and he says, “Good to meet you, my name is Luke.” “My wife and I (Annette) lead the co-ed adult group, which is mainly full of retired folks,” he says with a grin. He could tell I didn’t know where to sit in the circle and invited me to follow him.
What I didn’t know at the time was that the kind gesture he made to follow him that morning would turn into a decade-plus of me following Luke. Looking back, I was a young husband, a young dad, and a young pastor. Luke was a loving husband, godly dad, wise granddad, and had been a bi-vocational pastor in the area for years. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. But Luke knew on that morning that he invited me not simply to sit beside him in a circle but into a relationship. Over the next few years, I followed Luke….
- As he taught me about how to be a husband.
- As he taught me about how to be a dad.
- As he taught me about how to be a friend.
- As he taught me about how to be a pastor.
- As he taught me how to cheer for his beloved LSU Tigers.
- As he taught me about how to enjoy good conversation over a meal.
- As he taught me about how to love to read.
- As he taught me how not to take myself so seriously.
- As he taught me the “how” of so many things I still do today.
God knew I didn’t need more books to read or studies to attend. Please don’t misunderstand, I am all for books and studies, but what I needed more than anything was a person to follow. I was wanting an example of someone faithfully following Christ and willing to help me find my way. It’s one skill to understand and believe the teaching of our faith; it’s a completely different skill to apply the teaching to real-life situations. Luke gave me the greatest gifts a person could give someone: their time and their mind (thoughts).
As my Laurie and I made the detour to a hospital in South Carolina, the car was quiet, and my mind was reminiscing about all the times I spent with Luke. Sometimes it’s ok to be quiet. It’s another thing Luke taught me, “We tend to talk too much anyway”. Laurie and I found the hospital, and while parking the car, his sweet wife Annette was waiting outside for us, waving her arms. We hugged and followed her to his room. As I entered the room, Luke and I made eye contact. His eyes lit up when I said, “How about dem tigers?” or when I said, “Let’s go to Jack Brown’s and get some fried Oreos.” But Luke’s body was fragile as he lay in the hospital bed, unlike the well-built guy I met years ago. Luke was always mentally sharp, but his mind was beginning to become fuzzy. At different points of our visit, I could see the confusion in his eyes. But there were also moments as I was telling a story, he would flash a smile, and he had that old glimmer in his eyes.
When it came time for us to leave, I stood over his hospital bed. I leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. Tears began to form in my eyes. “Thank you!” I said, “Thank you!” Those were the only words I could get out.
It seems to me that when Jesus commanded the disciples to “follow him,” he was inviting them into a relationship that would change everything. As you and I are following Jesus, may we not forget to invite people not simply to a Bible study or a church service, but a relationship. And who knows, maybe one day we will hear the words, “Thank you!”