A reflection from the founder of Online Church Directory.com
Humans search for God. The early days of Christianity reveal non-Jewish proselytes embracing Judaism because they found their worship of many gods unfulfilling. They were looking for the one true God. Finding God is the beginning. Growing spiritually is a lifetime journey we make with Him. The unfathomable truth is we each have a unique personal relationship with the creator of the universe and it is our job to nurture it.
As we search for ways to grow spiritually, we look for leadership. Finding leadership sometimes happens through our own initiatives. But, many times it is simply dropped directly into our line of vision. That happened to me at my grandson’s Memorial High School commencement in May 2012 in Evansville, Indiana. I thought I might have that grandparent feeling of thankfulness and nostalgia watching the baby boy who had so quickly grown to manhood receive his diploma. Then a valedictorian named Sam Featherstone addressed the audience. I was aware that one of their classmates had been fighting brain cancer, but he now had a face and, more importantly, a voice. In a direct style he said what needed to be said, thanking the people who had touched his life and telling of his years of friendships and activities. He made the statement that growing up he had never thought about chemotherapy, but the last three years of his life he had thought about it every day. He then went on to witness his faith and tell us about his college plans. I was grateful he had shared his story and was reminded that that the cancer had weakened his body but not his spirit.
The next time I heard of Sam was the fall of 2012 in an announcement his cancer had returned and he was in hospice care. I was listening to my car radio and fighting tears as they announced his Samstrong Benefit for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. Although his personal situation with cancer appeared hopeless, he continued working so those who came after him would not face what he was facing. Sam died in early January 2013 after raising more than $200,000 for St. Jude’s.
It leads me to wonder how I would react if I received Sam’s news. I’ve had many more years than he was given. I feel I have found God, but could I open myself to that level of growth and giving when I knew my life was ending? When I am faced with that challenge, I will remember the leadership of Sam Featherstone.