This is going to be a really honest and, at times, rough post. I apologize in advance. I guess this (and the tattoo parlor) is where I go when I am trying to sort things out. This is my therapy. This is my wrestling mat for the things I can’t understand in the world. If you’re reading, thank you. With all due respect, I don’t write it for you. I write it for me. I need to get these thoughts out. I promise, there IS a happy ending. There WILL be a happy ending. It’s the hope I have and honestly…..
hope is all we have.
This has been a tough week. I am watching a friend say his final goodbye. I am watching a family lose a pillar of their lives. Anytime we say “goodbye” it hurts but this one hurts significantly more.
I have so many questions that don’t have answers.
I have so much pain that doesn’t have a resolution.
The pain is for those closest to my dear friend. The pain is for a song that the music doesn’t end on a note of resolution.
This week I have wrestled with God. I have taken the Creator to the mat and we have argued. We have fought. I have been brutally honest about my disapproval of His handling of the universe and this particular story in it. I have raised my voice, not in praise, but in anger. Like a child arguing with his parents, I have let my Heavenly Father know what I want and what I need. Like any good parent, He has quickly reminded me just as He did with Job….
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” (Job 38:4)
“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?” (Job 38:12)
Like any great parent, God continued on a pretty long lecture to remind me of MY place in the universe and that I am NOT the Creator of it (see Job 38-41).
As I walked away from a battle I thought I would win, beaten and put in my place…..I got a real life example of His word and His sovereignty. I got to witness that He wasn’t just saying words, He is putting it into application.
The Unscripted Collective has the distinct honor of partnering with The AJ Glover Foundation. Mike and Suzanne Glover have been through the storm. They are two parents that have been through the hardest thing any of us can likely understand. My so called “problems” will never be the same. They are valued members of our community and we love them. Their pain is our pain too.
On Friday night my lovely bride and I had the honor of attending a fundraiser for the foundation they set up in their son AJ’s name. Their foundation provides scholarships, community service and so much more. Their “why” –
Although AJ may not be here physically – his legacy has left its’ mark and we can’t stop. In fact, we won’t stop what he started.
AJ brought us together, people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and backgrounds, and together we will continue his great work…
To empower the vulnerable and unashamedly encourage people to walk and pursue God.
#becauseofAJ
–AJGloverFoundation.org
Heather and I were blown away to see the response from our community. The event was packed with some familiar faces and many that I did not know. It was a “Night at the Races” event. In short, another local group makes it feel like you are at the horse track. You purchase horses, watch the races and most of all, pour donations into this incredible family and foundation. We witnessed well over 200 people just respond and love this family. While donations can’t fix the pain, or the hurt or the loss, there is some odd way that it reminds us that it’s about AJ. It’s about his legacy. It’s about his heart and his passion to serve and help others. It’s not about horses or races or betting.
Everything was a celebration of AJ and the Glover family.
Period.
As I left a week of wrestling and arguing with my Heavenly Father, He pulled back the curtain just a little bit for me to see that He is still on his throne. He is the One that makes the sun rise and fall (even though it’s earlier now because of daylight savings). He is still the one that commands the wind and is fully in control. One day we will see. One day we will know.
AJ left his legacy and his message still lives on.
My good friend will do the same. His shadow is cast.
The ripples of his time with us will be seen for years to come.
To quote a man who lost one of his own children…..
Out of these ashes, beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes, beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning,
In the morning, beauty will rise-Steven Curtis Chapman
Beauty will rise.
It will still rise.
Because our Heavenly Father says it does and makes it happen.
I am counting on it.
#EvenIf
