I remember Wendy baby-sitting my sister and me at their little house in Atwood. I remember Tim going off to the army to learn how to jump out of planes. I remember him coming back. I remember when they moved to Trezevant, and playing outside with Daniel, and with all of his Power Rangers (I think he had every one) and NERF guns (of which he also had every one). I think there was even a "Stretch Armstrong" that got mangled in their somewhere. There were a lot of good times.
Of course, as a kid you never think about the future. Oh how I wish now that I had gotten to know Jay better. He was still "the little brother" whenever our families were spending all of that time with each other. Being six years older than him, I just didn't have the patience as a ten-year-old to play with a four-year-old.
Even though we all were in the same school system, as we grew we lost touch with each other. That's just the nature of life, and growing up. But while I was getting married in 2005, and just starting to feel like a man, that little boy who was six years younger than me actually became a man.
I won't spend a lot of time here reviewing what many of you already know about his journey for the last seven years. Jay does such a wonderful and inspiring job of that in his book, Jay's Journey. On page 69, Jay wrote a wonderful summary statement:
"In November 2005, at the age of thirteen, my life was forever changed. As I look back on my journey with cancer, I have come to realize that not all of those changes were bad. Many positive things have come as a result of my illness and made me the young man I am today."
As I think about the many positive things that have come from such terrible circumstances in Jay's life, I can't help but also think about Abel. You might remember Abel from back in Genesis 4.1-4. When I think about Jay and Abel, there are so many similarities. Abel was the second son, and younger brother. Abel loved animals, and being outdoors. Abel was a faithful servant of God. Abel's life was unfairly and tragically cut short (cf. Genesis 4.8).
But Genesis four doesn't tell us everything about Abel. Even though we may not have a single line of spoken dialogue from Abel, in the "Hall of Fame of the Faithful" of Hebrews chapter eleven, we read this:
"By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks." (Hebrews 11.4, ESV)
Though Jay left life on this earth, he too still speaks. He speaks through the memories of those who knew and loved him. He speaks through the book which he worked so hard to complete, in time to begin to see the influence that it would have in so many people's lives. He speaks loudest, though, by his example of undying, unwavering faith in God. By faith Jay served God. By faith, Jay completed his course(cf. 2 Timothy 4.7). He kept the faith to the very end.
I was one of those people who watched the counter on "Jay's Warriors" climb from a few hundred to several thousand in just a few days. It was amazing to me to watch how thousands of people were brought together by one man's story. They were drawn in, not by the sadness of it all, but because of the graceful way Jay lived, and the victory which Jay has through his faith in God.
While I don't pretend to know Jay half as well as anyone else, I think I still am accurate in saying that Jay didn't (and doesn't) want all of the attention drawn so much to his story. Rather, he'd want them to look past him, and be drawn to a story which played out about 2,000 years ago, and is even more compelling.
"And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." (Jesus, John 12.32, ESV)
Jay, there are thousands who never knew you personally, but who you have been and will be an influence on for the cause of Christ. While I didn't get to spend the time with you on this earth that I wish now that I had, I pray that one day I'll serve God beside you in Heaven for all of eternity.
-Daniel
P.S. - If you would like to buy the paperback edition of Jay's Journey, click here. If you would like to buy the Kindle edition, click here. All the proceeds from sales go to the Jay's Warrior's Scholarship Fund.
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