Look for God's Hand

One of the reasons I started this blog, and certainly one of the reasons I have continued to do so was because of my very dear friend and mentor, Norm. Norm passed away today, a man completely at peace with God, his family, and himself. It wasn't unexpected. He had cancer, and it came to get him.

After I received the news about my friend this afternoon, the first thought that came to my mind was that he is now able to see and be with God, whose hands he always talked about.

I shared all of my past with Norm over the span of a couple of years. It was difficult to do so because Norm was the epitome of a fully devoted Christ follower, one who had a very deep relationship with God. He loved everyone as God would have him do. And he loved me, warts and all. He never prodded, nor was he insistent, he just walked me carefully and slowly through my past because he knew something at the time that I didn't know.  He knew that once I released it all I could be free, free from my past, and free from the guilt and shame that colored much of what I did and thought.

When I finished that journey with Norm one day, he lit up, just absolutely lit up. And, he said to me, "Now take some time and look for Gods hand in every one of those little stories you shared. And don't worry that you didn't see them then, or that you chose to ignore them, just look for them." And I did, and I saw where God's hands were there in every single story of my past, no matter how sordid the story might be. For example: Sometimes He protected me from myself. Sometimes He protected others from me. Sometimes He clearly put a choice right in front of me, one I could choose to make or ignore.

The point was, God's hand was always with me, faithfully, which I could see as I went back through everything.....and the light came on! God has always been with me, and that easily translated to--and He always will. Norm knew what he was doing when he told this old guy to Look for God's Hand.

I was able to visit Norm this past week. It wasn't easy, knowing that it might have been the last goodbye (which it was). He was the happiest guy in the world, and at total peace. He wanted to recite some of his favorite scriptures, and we did. And between the times when the medication took him away for brief periods, we shared some of the greatest conversation I have ever experienced...silence. A very profound silence as we held hands tightly and stared at each other with wide smiles and a sense of pure love. I saw God's hand that day in Norm. It came in the form of undeniable grace, peace and contentment, and unbridled love.

And now Norm has gone to see the Man behind the Hands, to live with Him throughout eternity.