Men of Faith

Recently I attended the memorial service of a friend. He was one of my husband’s closest friends and an agnostic. I remember one time, sitting in my living room, listening to him explain that he really didn’t know if there was anything beyond what we have right here and now. His feeling was that this life is it; and then it is over.

As friends gathered at his home I looked around at who had come to pay their respects and show support to his widow and orphan. There is the circle of friends who share the same hobby and are part of our inner circle. The men who live in the area were there. And then there were the ones who came from a distance. Some, a very long distance.

What struck me most about these men is their faith. I looked from my husband to these men and realized they had more than a hobby, an annual vacation, and a friend in common. These are men who know there is a God and live their lives to honor Him. My husband presents as quiet, conservative, and a little reserved. But deep inside, he holds the truths of the Bible close to his heart; living each day with the moral principles that he was taught as a child. He treats his employees, customers, and clients with respect. He does what is right because it is all that he knows.

His friends are the same. I know them through their wives as part of our annual get-together. When they get together they party, and play, and celebrate life. When they give me a hug or ask, “How are you?” they mean it. They are men of honor and integrity. I know that they each shared their faith with him.

I am deeply saddened when I think of what these men lost with the death of their friend. It occurs to me that each one of them had a special friendship with him. And it is that friendship that helped create the relationships I saw that day. God brought him into their lives. But more importantly, this man, this agnostic chose to hang out with these men of faith. And God brought these men of faith into the life of someone with questions.