Would You Be Missed?

Good morning and welcome to Our Daily Walk.

Audio version http://tinyurl.com/22k6dd

A man on Long Island, NY, was found dead in his apartment recently. Lots of people die at home. But what made this situation special was that he had been dead for more than a year. Yes, that’s right—more than a year.

They found him sitting in front of the television set partially mummified. The TV was still on after all that time. Apparently the 70 year old man died of natural causes. Due to the low humidity of the apartment, amazingly his body was preserved.

His neighbors knew about this man, but hadn’t seen him in a long time. They had assumed that he had gone to a hospital or a long term care facility.

This story raises obvious and simple questions. Why didn’t someone miss this man? Didn’t he have family members or friends who would have communicated with him or looked in on him from time to time?

With direct deposit and many bills being paid automatically by the bank, it is reasonable to assume that the TV was still playing because the bill was paid automatically. But still the question remains, why didn’t someone miss this man? What a shame to die and have no one to miss you.

A contrast to the story of the man in NY is a story of a farmer in the Midwest. Years ago this widowed farmer was working a field when his tractor overturned and trapped the man. He was unable to free himself or call for help. But he didn’t lie there for much more than a few hours. You see, this accident happened on a Wednesday afternoon. And this man was known for always being at the services of the local church.

When the services began that Wednesday this man was not in his place. He was missed. Immediately some of the members tried to phone him but did not receive an answer. So they left and drove to his farm where they found him patiently waiting to be found.

Luke 19:10 says that Jesus came to “seek and save the lost.” For that we are eternally grateful. He died for each and every one of us, and God doesn’t want any of us to be lost. When we are away from Him spiritually, God is patiently waiting for us to come back to him. 2 Pet. 3:9.

Jesus, as the good shepherd, wants all of His sheep to be safe. In the parable of the lost sheep in Luke 15:3-7, Jesus illustrates this by saying that the joy of finding one lost sheep is more than knowing that you had 99 sheep that were never lost.

Of course, in order to be found, you first have to be missed. It is one thing to not be seen at worship services. It is another thing to be missed.

To be missed in that sense means that someone didn’t have the opportunity to be edified by you. Someone didn’t receive a smile, a compliment, a word of encouragement. Someone didn’t sing out as loud without the harmony of your voice. Someone didn’t have the opportunity for you to teach them. You left a void by not being in place. You were missed.

On Our Daily Walk today, may we make every effort to uplift, encourage and bless the lives of others around us. May we always live so as to make a difference and lead others toward God.

Our thought for the day: “What kind of church would my church be, if everyone in it were just like me?”

May God bless you on your daily walk.