An affliction that we suffered as a church this month was the death of one of our beloved brothers, Pablito. For several years he had been struggling with brain cancer. The news of his death was very sad for all of us, since Pablito was especially loved at our church (Familia de la Gracia). He was, perhaps, the happiest man that I have ever known, even in the midst of fighting a terrible cancer. He always had words of praise for the Lord and words of love for those around him.
At Pablito’s funeral I heard many testimonies from unbelievers who shared how they had been impacted by seeing that Pablito had an “indestructible joy” that was not shaken by the difficult circumstances he was experiencing. One of his family members shared that, on one occasion, he had asked Pablito “Why has this happened to you, since you are such a good person?” To which Pablito responded “Why not me? Why wouldn’t this happen to me? There is only one who is good and that is God, not me.” Testimonies like this were multiplied and, in the midst of our pain, we were driven to admire our Lord even more.
Pablito’s family members allowed us to have a brief worship service at his funeral. So, everyone who was there heard about the foundation of Pablito’s joy: the Lord Jesus Christ and his gospel.
We are going to miss our beloved brother very much, but we rejoice that he lived a life worthy of the Lord Jesus, and that now he is resting in his arms, free from all sickness.
Blessed be the Lord!
