My times are in your hands.
Psalm 31:15
As I was filling out paperwork to have my medical records sent to a new doctor I noticed something unusual. Under “date of birth” was the heading “date of death.” I could have been clever and written “only God knows”, but I instead I just left it blank and moved on. But the question made me wonder: what if I did know my “date of death”? Would I be living differently?
Yesterday was the “date of death” for our dear family friend Bill Frey. Bill helped shape me into the person I am today. His quiet generosity made it possible for me to go on mission trips to third world countries as a teenager. These mission trips opened my eyes to a level of poverty I never knew existed. My mom says I never complained about my clothes again after returning home. I didn’t know at the time that it was Bill who had provided the way for me to go, but I was aware of many other ways he blessed my family.
My dad worked for a small church in the suburbs of Boston from the time I was ten until I was twenty. Bill Frey and his family welcomed and cared for all of us as if we were their own family. Because of Bill, I have wonderful memories of being in their home, swimming in their pool, and going with them on vacation to Nantucket. They exemplified 1 Timothy 1:18-19:
Command them to do good, be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. — Paul
Bill Frey made great investments assuring treasures in heaven, and he did take hold of the “life that is truly life.”
Dedicated to Bunny and Melissa
