Life Is A Vapor

On Friday, my husband Bradley and I were driving down the road about to get on the highway.  Looking ahead, something in the sky caught my attention.  A deep, dark, black smoke began to billow into the grey sky.  It was obviously a real fire.  Of course, Bradley and I instantly began talking about it.  But as soon as it appeared in its big, foreboding way,  it began to dissipate.  By the time we turned on to the highway we were headed towards, it was almost gone.  And it dawned on me, that is exactly how life goes.  Scripture tells us in James 4:14, "You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow; you are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away."  

The reason this struck me so powerfully at this moment, was that we were on our way to the funeral of our friend, Alton LaGrappe.  In short, Alton was too young to die.  He was only 46 years old.  He left behind a daughter, Chelzi, that is only 13 years old.  He didn't show up for work on Sunday, and knowing his health problems (diabetes and heart problems), his co-workers began to look for him.  The instant the phone call came and I was told, I knew.  I know Alton, and he would crawl into work to not miss.  One reason, he was a servant.  There was no other reason in my mind for why he wouldn't be there to serve, but I needed there to be one anyway.   But that call did come.  Alton was gone.  The Lord decides when our time on earth is over, and as His ways are higher than our ways.  And on Sunday, January 11, 2009, our Abba Father decided that Heaven needed its son, Alton Joseph LaGrappe, Jr.  Our huge loss is heaven's wonderful gain.  

Alton served as my partner in the Worship Ministry at First Euless.  He had served there many years in a contract position, but in 2006, he came on staff full time to be the Technical Associate.  And thank God that our Pastor listened to the Holy Spirit in Alton's interview and

asked Alton if he was confident that he had made a decision in his life to make Jesus His Lord.  Now this man had worked on our stage for over 6 years...he had heard 100's of sermons.  But this was the first time he'd been faced with this question in a one on one situation.  And he answered no.  Our Pastor lead him to the Lord on that day.  And as a church, we celebrated Alton's baptism on November 19, 2006.  I'll never forget the roar of a cheer that the choir let out when the minister baptizing him said his name.  It was secured on that day that Alton had a home in Heaven.  

No one knew how soon that day would come for him.  But as we sat through his funeral, in a crowd of people from many different walks of life, no one talked about what an amazing resume' Alton had accumlated.  No one dropped names of the big country music stars that Alton had mixed sound for in Nashville and on the road.  No one discussed how well he knew how to EQ the system or his love of reverb at the end of a moving song.  No, on the minds and lips of every person in attendance was how much Alton loved his wife, his daughter and his family and friends.  How personable he was.  How present he was when he came to have a conversation with you.  How servant-hearted he was.  How precious he was.  And as we grieved his loss and celebrated his life, through many tears, I was reminded of the vapor - here today, gone tomorrow.  And the Lord, whom I trust needed Alton to move on to his final home, reminded me of this, "Life is not summed up in our accomplishments, but in our relationships."  

We've had many loved ones pass since we've lived in Texas.  It's been hard to be so far away.  None of these losses have been expected.  We just weren't prepared.  Goodbyes were not said.  Thank God as believers we have no final goodbye.  And now we've lost one of our Texas ministry family.  We are just not meant for his world are we?  So, I say, come Lord Jesus, come.  Until then, I will love...life is about relationships.