BE LIKE BILL

(Post by: Colton)

Bill was a very ornery young man; he was perhaps one of the funniest people I have ever met. When he would say something smart or goofy or just downright odd, he would boldly proclaim to those around him, “Don’t be like Bill!” The saying stuck, especially in our little Thursday night prayer group, and whenever one of us would do something that Bill would do, we would all say, “Don’t be like Bill!” 

A couple of years ago, I had shirts made for the Thursday night prayer guys that said, “Don’t be like Bill” as well as a shirt for Bill whose shirt said, “I’m Bill” (see picture above). This blog post is about that man you see in that picture and why we all need to Be Like Bill.

I share this with you, because I firmly believe Bill was a man we should absolutely imitate, and though he said his little saying quite often, we knew it wasn’t true. We do want to be like Bill.

On Thursday nights, six of us get together to talk for a little bit and then we end the night in deep prayer. The ages of those within this prayer group range from 16-88 years old. Bill attended the group faithfully, and last Friday he passed away just a few days after his amazing wife passed away. 

Bill had a tremendous impact on my life, and I aspire to be just like Bill in terms of how much he loved Jesus and telling others about how much Jesus loved them, too.

Bill’s prayers were always full of amazement and awe, like he knew Heaven would be amazing, but could never fully grasp how truly amazing it would/will be. 

Now just think of this… A man who prayed every Thursday night/every day about seeing Heaven has now entered that glory and was met by His Savior. WOW, what an image!

I, and the four other men in the group, can attest to this, Bill prayed for that exact moment and he’s made it! He’s been called home to his King, and we couldn’t be more honored to have prayed alongside him for the time that we did. Praise the Lord!

When he prayed, he would always throw in the word “wow.” That simple word was all he could say. He couldn’t fathom how he could be in the presence of God in a small log cabin with a bunch of “miscreants.”

He wouldn’t force it in his prayer, I believe it was genuine. Bill would get so caught up in worshipping and praising Jesus through prayer that all he could say was “Wow!” This man has achieved what he had desired for so long. We all have an opportunity to seek Jesus just as much as Bill did. 

He sought after Jesus daily, prayed for anyone he could, and would tell those he came in contact with that Jesus loved them. He would come to prayer group every Thursday and tell us about how he told someone that Jesus loves them and about how they usually broke down crying and he and his wife would pray with them. 

His wife would often do the same thing. A sweet lady saying “Jesus loves you” would always open doors for the Holy Spirit to move. I can remember countless times that Bill would come on Thursday nights with stories about those he was able to show Jesus to. Whether it was in the middle of a store or in the middle of a garage sale, he loved introducing people to Jesus. 

Bill was a living, breathing example of exactly how Jesus wants us all to live. He would want his life to show us exactly that. He would always pray for the Lord to use him however He wanted. I believe that prayer has been answered; I know it has been in my life. He showed me how to have joy in the midst of hard things and taught me to praise Jesus every chance I get and to always be “Wowed” by Jesus’ perfect love.

Bill has completed his calling. I’m so happy to have had just a couple of years with my friend, and I’ve been impacted by him more than I think I could ever know.

My challenge for us is to remember Bill and how he prayed fervently to his Savior about seeing His face, about laying before the throne and worshipping a Creator so big that us humans could never begin to comprehend. 

I believe that when Bill entered the gates of Heaven and heard the angels singing, he could feel the presence of God as Jesus walked towards him with scarred hands, and that Bill looked at his Savior, fell to his knees, and simply said, “Wow!”

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23)