Unconditional Love

The pictures are: a picture of Trey on the table with the 21 candles representing 21 years of life and a picture of us in the hotel before we were back at the hospital. Starla is standing beside me and then her mother, Jessie, Aunt Retha and then my mom.

As I drove my parents to New Mexico to visit a family member who tried to take his own life and was now in the hospital on life support the words that kept coming to me were unconditional love. This same family member had gone from a precocious little boy to an angry teenager and beyond who had consistently struck out in destructive ways to his mother and grandparents on top of being in and out of jail over his adult years. As his mother stated it “he’s been living with the devil”. There was so, so many times over the years we have cried out in disgust at his behavior and the consequences of what he brought on not only himself but his family. Yet when we heard he had been found, after trying to take his own life our thoughts were not primarily on what he had done in the past but that he was clinging to life---and he was one of ours. We drove round trip near 1400 miles in three days to attend the prayer vigil. What I came away with from those three days was the privilege to be a part of a family with such prayer warriors. We are not even all the same denomination but we believe and serve the same God. We all cried out to God on Trey’s behalf and actually on the behalf of the many young people in that town that are trapped in the pit with so much drug use and therefore criminal activity. There is nothing we would have loved more than to see Trey survive and go on to warn others about the idols that he had allowed to control him. It has become apparent that instead the Lord chose to take him on home. Our family will continue to pray for each other and love each other unconditionally. Such unconditional love and affection is only possible to those that love the Lord. I praise God for such a family.

Emails that were sent out from Trey’s mom, Starla, as the story unfolded:
Trey's condition is very grim. He has minimal brain function, but is not brain dead. The doctors are giving us little hope, but we serve a LIVING GOD. If it is His will, Trey will survive. If not, God is working in his spirit right this second. Trey knows God's word better than I do...he has so much of it memorized. Though he's been living with the devil, I know that he knows his creator and in this I take much solice.
We are having a prayer vigil for Trey at our church, Good News Assembly, on Sunday, October 19 from 2:00 - 5:00 pm. Jimmy got the notice put in the local paper and we are having flyers posted. It is my prayer that in addition to flooding the gates of heaven with intercessory prayer for Trey, that we will have the opportunity to minister to Trey's friends who attend and I believe that they will. If one life can be touched by this tragedy, then it will not have been in vain. If you cannot attend, please pray where you are...for Trey, for the family, and for his friends.
My heart is breaking...I feel gutted...but, I know that I have so many friends and family that are praying right now that when I stop praying to take a breath, they are continuing in my stead and for that I am forever grateful to you all.
THEN ON ANOTHER DAY:
I am getting your e-mails and that means so much to me. Sometimes it is difficult for me to answer or I run out of time and am called to do something else, but please, please know that I hear your words and your words fill my soul and warm my heart. Please don't stop. Today we will remove the ventilator from Trey. Yesterday they tested it and he did breathe on his own, though it was shallow and very slow. He may live a minute, he may live an hour, he may live a day, he may live longer. It is up to him and God at this point. I believe that since the test showed that Trey can take breath, then if I leave the machine on Trey and make him breathe, I am playing God and I'm way too stupid to do that.

I feel your prayers and that means a whole lot to me. Please e-mail me whenever you want to and I will respond whenever I can. I'm working on pulling together an e-mail list so that I can provide a little information on a more regular basis and you will be on that list.

Trey is in God's hands fully and completely. For some reason when we did the test and removed the ventilator God was not through with him, or he was not through with God. I can only stand on the sideline and watch. Please pray for Hank.

I'm not able to do my devotionals like normal, so if the Lord lays scripture on your heart, please share it with me.

This morning I awoke and have been lead to read the book of Job and in my heart I hear the words, "for such a time as this." Pray that God will give me wisdom to learn from this what it is HIS will for me to know.


Note: Michelle and I were talking in the car tonight. When you have someone close to you die it sure brings home the point of how important each and every day is. They are actually a gift from the Lod and something that should be treasured and used wisely!