Chapter
14

As everyone was headed to find a seat, I headed towards the front row of seats where the casket was, and the close family was to be seated. As I reached the front, Niki was standing at the front looking straight at the picture of Jackson and Alex as she was crying. Niki and I began to hug a long and intense hug. We were both hugging each other hard, and without words we were saying a lot. Without us noticing or probably caring about what was going on around us, everyone else in the room had sat down ready for the services to begin. We had been there in front just hugging and loving each other. When we noticed that everyone was staring at us, we were a bit startled at first, but then chuckled a bit in our tears and then sat down. Waylon would later tell me that this moment was important for the church to see. He said, people needed to see that kind of Love in the midst of so much hurt.

 

The service began, and rather than go off my memory, here is a YouTube link to an audio of the service, 

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https://youtu.be/G993sB-kHYs

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However, I will give some highlights that weren’t recorded.

 

Waylon gave an awesome message. He said it “wrote itself,” but God surely spoke through him that day. He shared the story of David. We had mentioned to Waylon that Jackson loved the story of David and Goliath. However, Waylon spoke of another story of David. David had also lost a son. David’s son became terribly ill and was near death. David began to pray and plead with God to spare his son. David lay prostrate on the ground in extreme emotion. When the son died, David’s servants were afraid to tell him. They were afraid he might lose control and maybe kill the messenger of the news of his death. In the servants’ confusion, David asked, “Is the boy dead?”

 

They replied, “Yes.”

 

David got up, appropriately mourned his son’s death, got cleaned up, and ate and cared for himself.

 

The servants were bewildered. How could David act this way????

 

David’s reply helped shape my life.

 

2 Samuel 12:

 

22 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”