Monday, October 10, 2011

A Good Man Who Lived His Faith

“A good person produces good words from a good heart, and an evil person produces evil words from an evil heart.” -- Matthew 12:35

Today would have been his 76^th birthday. He died last week. His wife, his sons, his family and friends all grieve his loss. There was visitation and a beautiful funeral service followed by a touching burial. There was an abundance of food and many, many hugs and tears.

He was a good man. He saw a need and tried to fill it. He saw someone hurting and tried to provide comfort. He lived life simply, with an emphasis on faith and family. He never shouted his good deeds out loud, preferring to quietly do what he felt God had called him to do.

The day of his funeral, a mission team visited an orphanage on another continent. The director thanked the team for the financial gift the year before, a gift that allowed the orphanage to have heat through the winter. One team member explained that the money had been a gift from a dear man who had died. They prayed for his family and his generosity. A legacy lives on amid people who never met him.

As often happens when someone dies, people took time to remember his life. He was once scoutmaster for a boy scout troop. The boys -- men now -- believe he had more fun that they did. He served in many different volunteer positions at his church. He offered wise advice to those who were lost. He offered forgiveness and acceptance to the lost who became found.

He lived his faith. Plain and simple. No fanfare. With a humble attitude that clearly spoke of his dependence on a Savior he embraced with his whole heart. He taught. He read. He studied. Priorities in the life of a man who worked long hours to provide for his family.

He knew deep tragedy. He lost one son to illness. And he almost lost another son to illness. That son told how in the weeks after his liver transplant, when he was too weak to feed himself, his daddy spoon-fed him every morsel of food that entered his body. Patient and kind, strong and steady, no matter the circumstances.

Maybe that’s why he carried his faith so deeply. It was a faith born not just of a childhood spent in church but a faith born of deep anguish and God’s strength. He knew grief and he knew salvation. The combination rooted him with an unwavering strength that carried him and those around him through so many hard times.

And now that strength is a legacy passed on to his wife, the two sons he left behind, and his grandson. It will provide a steady hand as they learn to navigate life on this earth without his presence. Don Martin’s faith, deeply imbedded in his family and friends, will surround them until they join him in heaven one day.