Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Matthew 22:37-39
A couple of months ago when legendary hockey coach Al Arbour died, I wrote a post on this blog that asked the reader to consider the story he is writing with his life. That general thought is on my mind again, thanks to having heard the song in the video above on the radio on my way home from church today. That song is one that makes me think of the life lived by the man in the photo above. He's the greatest man I've ever had the privilege to know, and I'd like to tell you about him and the example that he set for me and many others.
Many who are reading this likely knew him, but for those who don't, his name was Herschel Bragg, Sr. He was my pastor for seven years, and had many more years of influence on me after he retired from that position. He passed away a little over two years ago, but his legacy lives on. His influence can be seen in the lives of more people than you can imagine. His story is one of a "witness so bold," and it does say that he kept the faith until his dying day.
My family joined Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in 1993 when I was nine years old. At that point, Bro. Bragg had already been the pastor of the church for 21 years. He was so loved and respected that it made him feel like a larger than life figure. But not long after, we had a church fellowship, and Bro. Bragg walked over to the table where I was and sat down across from me and started talking to me. I have no idea what we talked about now, but at that moment, whatever I wanted to talk about was the most important thing in the world.
I believe that was the moment that Bro. Bragg began to teach me one of the most important lessons I've ever learned. He didn't do it by sitting me down and giving me a lecture, but by the way he lived. That night, his actions said that I was important and that he cared about me. He might not have actually cared about the subjects we talked about that night, but his concern for me was no act, nor was the concern that he showed for everyone else who crossed his path.
That concern that he had for people was never more obvious than on the day of his funeral. The sanctuary of the church was filled with hundreds of people that had been touched by his life. As it was said that day, the packed house was not just evidence of how many people loved him, but how many people he loved. Bro. Bragg's story is one of love. It's the story of his love for the Saviour whom he faithfully served for so many years and of his love for everyone around him.
That love can be well summed up by some of the words from the last prayer I ever heard him pray. "Lord, if you're ready for me, I'm ready to go, and I'm ready to see you. But, if it's all the same to you, I'd like to hang around for a little longer and see a few more folks get saved."
That's what you and I should strive to be. We should have the kind of love for the Saviour that causes us to want to be with Him and that causes us to love others. Like Bro. Bragg, we should live a life that reflects the love of God to those around us. One day, when people tell the story of my life, that's the type of story I hope they tell. That's the only kind of story that displays a truly successful life. If I've ever known anyone that entered Heaven and heard, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," it was Bro, Bragg. When the Lord sees fit to put someone like him in your life, take advantage of it and learn from the example. People like him can help show us who we should be, and one day , we can use that to show others the same thing.
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