FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
When someone you love and care about takes their own life…
It is one of the most traumatic and disorienting times you can face. The questions are seemingly endless and unanswerable. The what ifs become breeding grounds for regret, guilt and self-accusation. Being followers of Christ does not eliminate the grieving we do in times like this, but as Paul says, we do not grieve like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We grieve in the light of the resurrection promised in Christ…a quote from Dan Lacich, the pastor of Oviedo City Church and a Team Leader at Forge Oviedo.
The reality of this quote hit home this week for the men of Forge as we’ve dealt with the death of Nick Augello, a 32 year old young man who was so important to our leadership in Longwood. Since learning of his death, I have had so many questions going through my mind as to how this could happen. While these questions have remained mostly unanswered, here is what I do know. Getting to know Nick over the last two years was a great blessing. He was so impressive in how he talked with other men around the table about life. He clearly had an understanding of how a Grace Energized life is lived. I know that for whatever his challenges were in this life, today he is experiencing the fullness of what it means to be God’s son. But the question I find the most troubling is how he could be dealing with some serious issues in his life and his team around the table know nothing of it. This is my challenge to us as FORGE MEN, we must be even more boldly intentional to know one another and be known by one another.
Dan goes on to say…
Still, some will question how a person who follows Jesus could get to the place of despair in which they take their own life. Following Christ is no guarantee that we will never face painful, debilitating times in life. It is no guarantee that we will be free of all illness, physical or mental. It is no guarantee that we will never feel hopeless. What following Christ does do is give us a relationship and tools to overcome such hurdles. But we are not always successful. We could just as easily ask, “How does a person who follows Jesus commit any kind of sin?” On one level it makes no sense that if you have experienced the love and grace of God, that you would ever do anything to displease Him. Yet we all do! It is the consequence of living in a world that is still fallen, caught in sin, awaiting the final redemption and restoration of all things. It is the consequence of now and not yet. We live in Christ now, but we do not yet have the benefit of the fullness of that relationship. The broken world is still broken. So we look to the promised day of restoration when a New Heaven and a New Earth will become one, and we will walk in the full light of God’s grace and mercy and love. It is a promised time of no more tears, no more sorrow, only joy in the Lord.
To read the full blog from Dan Lacich, click on the link below.
