And I will call it Bob

Today, two women showed up on my door step. I knew them and invited them in. I feared the worst, because they are family to a very close friend of mine. "no He did not pass away, but they have taken away all the machines and are just keeping him comfortable.
I dropped whatever it was that occupied my moment of time and headed directly to the hospital, not only to say my last farewells, but to also present one last opportunity of salvation.
If you have not looked upon a body that is there but the life it once knew is slipping away before your very eyes; if you have never looked into the eyes that once twinkled with life and now they are glazed over in unresponsiveness, then I hope you never have to.
I talked to the shell of the person, hoping that if his soul had not yet departed, that even on his dying bed, he would, perhaps with his last breath, he would breathe the name of Jesus and be ushered into eternity with God, not separated from Him to eternal damnation.
I did get to personally share the gospel with his doctor. I noticed that all the nurses that had come into his room to see if he was still clinging on to life or if he had thrown in the towel, all quietly dissipated when I gave my testimony to the doctor.
I asked her, may I ask you two questions. She said yes of course. So I asked her if she could predict the exact moment that my good friend would die. She said no, but medically speaking it won't be long..
Then I asked her if I could ask her another one.. "Yes" she said, I said "Do you know when you will die?" She said "no, I don't."
At this point, I had her complete attention and we talked about the things that would merit her getting into heaven. Nope she hasn't killed or robbed maybe a lie or two but generally a was good person. I said,no, not good enough.
I shared with her, what I will share with you now. Our "good" is as filthy rags to God and only the fact that I have accepted Christ the Son of God into my heart and asked him to forgive my sins, is going to get me into heaven. Absolutely nothing else! She assured me that tonight she would make a decision one way or the other.
If she doesn't choose yes, she is actually choosing no. I told her that God gives us opportunities to accept him, sometimes its' only one. So tonight I am praying for the doctor and her husband, that God will speak to their hearts and they will turn their lives over to him, no holds barge.
As of the finishing of this post, my good friend and hard working neighbor has now surrendered to the death that tried to snuff out his life for the past 20 something years. He endured about 50 surgeries and even made medical history. While I was speaking with the doctor, this afternoon, she mentioned.. "he even had his last thanksgiving dinner, in the hospital with two of our doctors." because no family was there. I actually broke down and cried when she told me that the doctors ate with him.
Here is what is so tragically sad, he was the best neighbor anyone could ever have. If I needed him to any handy man thing, he would jump at the opportunity to help and never charged me a penny, though I would offer whatever I had. His hand was never out to accept.
As he lay there, drawing his final breaths, that were about 15-17 seconds apart, his eyes held no life and his pulse was barely there. I called his family to say that I thought he was passing and that should someone please come. The sister told me and I quote..."I don't have time, for this. I need to take time for myself."
It was the most cold-hearted thing I have heard in years and I, the neighbor, felt guilty for leaving the man there, to die alone. And then my Lord reminded me that even in death He never leaves us. So if his family chose not to go, I know that my friend didn't die alone.
I am just sorry that I did have to leave and am not sure of the exact time that he slipped away. But I do know that for at least two hours, he had someone there stroking his hair, and holding his hand, talking to him and reassuring him that it was okay to go if he had to and assuring him that his dearly beloved mother would be taken care of.
I quoted Psalm 23 to him a couple of times and prayed with him and told him that even in his dying he could still call out to God and God would hear him and take him into heaven to be with him, forever.
In this world, I will not know for sure, the decision that my friend made, but my hope is this, that when I cross over into my heavenly home, there will be my friend fixing the sewing machines in heaven that sew the angel's clothes and make their wings... There will be my friend fixing the flood gates of heaven and replacing the stars' blown out bulbs.... There will be my friend.
As a public memorial to my friend... Thank you for being the best neighbor I've ever had. Thanks for fishing the tractor out of my toilet, thanks for being my very dear friend. You will be greatly missed. Thank you for snow blowing my side walks and my driveway, when you have just gotten out of the hospital and had been there for the past 8 weeks.
(I said 'what are you doing out here, you crazy person/" And he said "well, I'm not dead yet!") May you find comfort in the arms of Jesus and may your body now be set free from all the pain and suffering that you have endured, for way too long. I love you and will cherish you forever, and I think I am going to plant something in your honor. And I will call it Bob.