Sunday, July 27, 2014

Chris "Sacramento" Smith Sr.

Chris "Sacramento" Smith Sr.
March 19, 1957-July 19, 2014

I have pondered what to write tonight, and I believe I want to write about my friend, Chris. I will get back to Term 7 tomorrow, as I really do have more to share (and want to remember) from that. However, today I attended a service honoring Chris' life.

I met Chris a few years ago on the IHOP-KC Shuttles team. His nickname was Sacramento, and it was quite some time before I realized he went by that because he was from California. *grin* The thing about shuttles is that it takes time to get to know someone because you drive and leave. There's not a whole lot of togetherness outside of the ministry. However, I was blessed because I did get to know him a little bit.

Chris was our main shuttle leader on Sunday Mornings. He would serve from 7am until we finished after second service. He would often send me a text the night before to remind me to be on time. I was never on time, and it drove him nuts, but it sort of became a joke so it was okay. *grin*

Over the past few years, I prayed with him and for him in his health struggles. He was always open and transparent and I really liked that about him. He shared different sides of himself with me, so I saw the range of emotions with Chris. After hearing people talk today about him at his service, I sort of felt blessed that I knew him that well, because it went beyond the typical, "I'm fine" response we so often hear from people.

At the same time, as I listened to people talk about Chris, I clearly don't know about his past. Perhaps it's better that way, I don't know. I have gone back and forth about that all evening. Part of me would like to hear how God rescued him from his past into the incredible man of faith that he became. However, He clearly didn't have that for me, so I am fine with it. *grin*

I was blessed the Thursday before I left for Term 7, when he texted me and asked if I could come in and help drive for the Fascinate Conference. He NEVER did this, so I knew it was worth canceling my tutoring session I had scheduled to help out. Turns out, it was the last time I saw him and talked to him. We had fun driving together, cracking jokes, and he went to Wendy's for dinner and had a salad. I think secretly I'm hoping his last meal was something REALLY good! *grin* He said to me that I was one of his favorite people that night. The last thing he said to me was something like, "Have fun blessing those kids out at camp, and I'll see ya the following Sunday." That would have been today, but I'm okay with that. He's in Heaven dancing and partying with Jesus! *grin*

I'm going to miss him on Sundays, as we drove together regularly then. Today I missed him already. At the same time, he wouldn't want us sad, he would want us happy and to continue to share Christ with those around us.

I heard it said once that it's not the numbers representing the number of years in a person's life, it's the life in those years that matters.

Seems to me Sacremento made the most out of those years.

See ya on the other side, Sacremento. *grin*

Life.
is.
Good...especially when friends are in Heaven ahead of us! *grin*



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