Remembrance

Dorwan Stoddard died on Saturday morning, January 8. He wasn’t a celebrity. He didn’t have millions of dollars. He was a 76 year-old man who ran the benevolence program at the Mountain Avenue Church of Christ in Tucson, AZ…who happened to be in attendance at the event where Representative Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head.

This 76 year-old member of the church was shielding his wife from the bullets that were being fired, when he was shot in the head. That, within itself, is an example of sacrificial love and adoration that should be shown by a husband for his wife. However, there’s something else that I’ll remember about this fellow brother in Christ: the way the other members of the church at Mountain Avenue reacted to his death.

He was described as the “life-blood” of that 120 member congregation. He was constantly doing something at the building, or going to do something for someone in need. One member said, “They put their hearts into helping others that went far beyond buying groceries. They changed lives.” Another member said, “There is going to be a huge hole in our congregation.”

That last description of Dorwan Stoddard resonated in my soul like those gunshots last Saturday. Would people in the church…people in the community react that way if I died? Would I be missed because of all the time I sacrificed for others. Would I be known as someone who was the “life-blood” of the church here? Am I the kind of Christian example that other people will miss…or am I simply existing?

“Brethren, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.” (Philippians 3:17). If people watched your life…what would they see?