Life Lesson

I have written about, questioned, and even wrestled with the word “evangelism” for some time now. This past week brought an answer to many of my questions from an unexpected source. Unfortunately, it came at a very high cost. Bobby J. Rambo lost his life in a motorcycle accident over the Memorial Day weekend. Bobby was a member of our CMA family. Although I only spoke to him on a few occasions, I considered Bobby a friend. Judging by what I saw at his wake Wednesday night and his funeral on Thursday, I did not get to know Bobby nearly as well as I would have liked. What I did know about Bobby was he was slightly shy, but warm and generous. He was very likeable and I would have to agree with everyone who noted he had a great smile. I now know, for sure, Bobby’s great smile was merely a reflection of his heart. I had the honor of riding with Bobby and his girlfriend Hillary just a few weeks before he died. It is a memory I will cherish.

I once heard someone say you could tell the value of a person’s life by the amount of people who attended their funeral. In this case it rings true as Bobby’s life was rich and full, despite the fact he was only twenty four. We stood in the reception line for nearly two hours while hundreds of people paid their respects. The funeral director said she could not remember a time they had so many people. At the funeral we all had the pleasure of hearing Bobby’s family and friends recall his life and the positive impact he had on all of them. I was especially impressed with his circle of close friends who all got up and shared their experiences with Bobby. I have to say I am not sure how harshly Bobby’s friends might be scrutinized from a strictly legalistic point of view, but I heard Jesus, not only mentioned specifiaclly by name, but in the expression of their hearts and love for Bobby. One young man even made the comment that Bobby was the first person who ever told him about the love of Jesus. What a testimony; what a witness. The overall theme was not about Bobby grabbing a hand full of tracts and hitting the streets to preach. It was not about the way Bobby volunteered at church or had a great ministry. It was not even about religion or church at all. The main theme about Bobby’s life and legacy was the way he loved people. His friends and family all testified about his wiliness to help anyone who needed help and his ability to bring people from all backgrounds together as a group. One young man spoke about how Bobby had simply called him one day to meet him for coffee. Even though he did not consider Bobby a particularly close friend at the time, Bobby called to meet him with no other motive but to "hang out". It was obvious this simple act of kindness had quite an impact. There are many forms of evangelism, but I see now there are few as effective as a life well lived; sharing the Love of Christ within us with all those around us. Thank you Bobby.