I’ve known this guy for years – since he was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’, in fact. He was a kid I grew up with, a boy who lived near me. He was an ok kid, I guess, although we tended to fight more than we played nicely together. As we got older, we weren’t as close. In fact, we fought a lot.
Anyway…so he’s just this regular kid, kinda skinny, made ok grades in high school, played sports. You know, not a bad kid, but he got into his share of trouble. He had plenty of friends, but his share of enemies, too, I think. Just a regular kid.
We started getting close again when I was in college. He was fun to hang out with, but you know, we didn’t do anything special. Just hung out, partied, the usual.
He went off to the local college, but he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life. So he took some classes, got some good grades, got some bad grades, but overall was doing ok. Then, in 2002 or so, his country called for soldiers and he answered. He joined the Marine Reserves. He ended up being sent overseas to the Middle East for two tours of duty – thankfully coming home uninjured (although I’m sure with some mental scars) each time. This is when I started noticing what a wonderful young man he was becoming. The Bible says, “Greater love hath no man than that he will lay down his life for his friends.” I think this guy’s love was just as great – he was willing to lay down his life for people he didn’t even know, in the name of freedom.
So after he came back, we kept in touch, and over the years, I saw what an amazing young man of faith he was becoming. He treats people the way he would want to be treated; he is a true friend who would do anything for his friends (he once stopped a friend from committing suicide!); he treats the women in his life with respect and honor; he treats his family with love and protectiveness. He’s always ready to come to the aid of his siblings, no matter what. He’s a “cowboy” in the best sense of the word. This all comes from his deep faith and his love of God.
He also recently discovered a love of horseback riding. But instead of “just” enjoying it, he also volunteers for two organizations that provide horseback therapy – Wings of Hope and Horses for Heroes. Horses for Heroes especially impresses me, because he’s uniquely suited to help wounded veterans heal through horseback therapy – since he’s a veteran himself. He can listen to their stories, sympathize with their scars, and just generally let his light shine through. He leaves behind “reasons to be missed” each and every single day.
Now, believe me, he’s not perfect. Boy’s got a temper, and he tends to be rather…opinionated. But hey, who is perfect? He’s also a humble guy, and he wouldn’t think of himself as an amazing example of a faith-filled life, but he is. Just a regular guy…who does regular things with great love…and shows the love of God to everyone he meets. Surely we can all be like that, can’t we? We don’t have to be famous, or important, or known throughout the world. We can show God’s love in our regular lives just as well!
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this “regular guy” I’m talking about is my little brother Paul. Yeah, I was trying to trick you a little with the “lived near me” stuff. Didn’t want you to guess too soon. We really did fight a lot as kids, too! Now, Paul’s probably going to turn bright red when he reads this, because like I said, he’s a humble guy, but I’m telling you – he is a great man of faith. If all the little boys in Texas turn out to be half the man he is, Texas will be doing well for the next generation.
I love you, Paul! And I’m so proud of who you’ve become!
My brother. I love him. He's cool. ♥
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