His Encouragement #32 — My Brother, Tim
Thursday Encouragement

His Encouragement #32 — My Brother, Tim

Nicole Santana

CollageMaker_20180429_195809418.jpgGood morning, and welcome to His Encouragement Thursday! I don’t know about you, but Thursdays are my struggle day of the week. By Thursday, I have already been working hard at school and at home, and I just wish it would hurry up and be Friday already. LOL! I definitely need a little extra Jesus time on Thursdays.

Trisha, my blogger friend at Joy of Reading, and I decided on calling this post “His Encouragement” because our real source of peace, strength, and security can only come from Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, is our constant! We pray and hope that these Thursday posts become a real encouragement to you and help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. God bless!

Today’s Thursday Encouragement comes from:

Psalm 31:9 (ESV)

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also.

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My heart is broken…

34509146_2162970670590062_411913498562396160_nLast Saturday, as some of you already know, I lost a friend to a freak accident. Tim wasn’t just any old friend — he was like my older brother. We have been good friends for the past 13 years. I truly believed Tim was invincible. When I received the phone call that Tim had died, I was beyond shocked. How was that even possible?

To give you an idea about my relationship with Tim, here’s the message I posted to Tim’s Facebook Wall:

 

received_10213669370626340.jpegSo, I’m reading all of these amazing stories about Tim Klein. I’m loving every single one. Tim was an excellent human, and I already miss him so much. My heart feels like it’s hemorrhaging.

In the Bible, one of the things I love the most about Jesus is that He knew exactly what each person He met needed in that moment. I agree Steven Calzada. Tim is a superhero. I’m going to add that another superhero quality was Tim’s ability to know exactly what a person needed. Many people have mentioned how Tim was able to push them into doing things that took them out of their comfort zones. And, they are stronger and better people because of that little push. Tim knew you all needed that push. But that’s not what he did for me.

Tim knew I needed an older brother. Tim knew I needed words of encouragement. Tim knew I needed support. I think, deep down, Tim knew that I’m fragile. That I hide a lot. I hide behind jokes and laughter. Tim knew that I needed a person to run to when things got really scary. He never made me feel dumb, useless, or worthless anytime I called him or sent an email or literally ran to his classroom. I mattered to Tim. He knew I needed to matter.

received_10213669375226455.jpegAnd, that’s how I try every day to pay it forward. Through his example, I try to show my family, friends, students, and fellow co-workers that they matter to me.

I will miss Tim so much. I will miss his regular visits to my classroom. I will miss the field trips we went on with Lara Calzada. I will miss our lunches at Yardhouse. I will miss his wonderfully infectious laugh. I will miss his kindness and his support. I will miss having my big brother.

I love you, Tim. I can’t wait to see you again one day. RIP. ❤❤❤

FB_IMG_1528123261938.jpgThese words aren’t enough. To describe the impact Tim had on this world, and on me, is impossible. He was one of the best humans I have ever had the privilege to know, and to say I will miss him is an understatement. The only thing giving me any sort of peace and comfort in this moment is that I know with 1000% certainty that Tim is in Heaven with Jesus right now. Tim loved Jesus with every fiber of his being. Being a man of Christ was evident in everything Tim did. I very much looked up to him for his true Christian heart, and strive to be like him.

When I went to my Bible to find the right verse for this week’s Encouragement post, I felt overwhelmed. What verse could possibly illustrate just how I feel today? I went to my go-to book in the Bible — the Psalms — and was lead to Psalm 31:9. This verse adequately describes how I feel right now. It’s like the verse was written for me. I am in distress. Complete and utter distress. I feel like my world is falling apart. My eyes look like they are going to fall out of my head. My soul hurts. My body aches. I really want to punch something.  Today, I need God’s grace. I crave one second of His peace. I desperately long to feel something other than this immense pain.

I know God has control over everything. I know He’s got a plan. I just wish I understood why the plan sometimes has to hurt SO much.

If you could please keep Tim’s wife, JJ, and his two young sons, Levi and Jack, in your prayers, I would be so very grateful. They are a wonderful family hurting very deeply right now.

NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN!

WHAT BIBLICAL VERSE IS ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY?

And, check out more Thursday Encouragement from my fellow blogger friends:

Trisha @ Joy of Reading

Jacquelyn @ A Heavenly Home

Jessica @ A Baker’s Perspective

Becca @ The Becca Files

If you would like to join us: please contact Trisha or Nicole

 

Published by Nicole Santana

I love Jesus, my husband, and my daughter. I love reading and reviewing Christian and Clean fiction. And, I am a high school English teacher trying to get kids to fall in love with reading every day!

16 thoughts on “His Encouragement #32 — My Brother, Tim”

  2. The hope of Jesus Christ and the certainty of His promises of heaven and a new earth are all that will soothe your soul. Nothing else on earth will get the job done. Read Hebrews 12:22-24 and meditate on it: “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

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  4. My heart aches reading your post. You truly honored Tim by how you described him and his Christ-like impact on your life. You are right to hold onto Jesus, our Great High Priest, Who is able to understand our every grief and sorrow.
    Dear God,
    I come in agreement, asking You to wrap JJ, Levi, Jack, and anyone who loves Tim in Your perfect arms. Carry and provide for them, because You alone know the deepest of their needs. In this time of chaos and confusion, weave a gentle assurance that they are surrounded by Your Spirit. We trust that You will provide for them as they cry out to You. I especially pray for Tim’s sons that they run to You and allow You to comfort them in ways only You can. Their future is in You. I declare the name of Jesus over Tim’s family and friends and that they feel You as close as the air they breathe. LORD God, please show up in ways we can only imagine.
    In the name of Jesus,
    Amen

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  5. Extremely sorry for the passing of your dear friend. Praying for you and his sweet family. Thankfully it’s not goodbye but until we meet again. ❤

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  6. Praying for Tim’s family and friends. It does not ease the pain, but Revelation 21:1-4 gives such hope:

    “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

    Especially when read with Jesus’ words from John 14:1-3.

    “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

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  7. I’m so sorry to hear this! I will pray for you and Tim’s wife and sons. May you all feel God’s love and presence during this difficult time.

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  8. My heart breaks for you right now 😢 So sorry for the pain you are going through right now. Just because we are Christian doesn’t mean we will never have times of heartache. God doesn’t expect you to be happy with a smile on your face at all times. Sometimes we need to lean on God for his strength and comfort just to make it through the day when things are rough. We don’t want to stay there forever, but over time God can heal our hearts. So sorry for your loss. I can see how much Tim impacted your life in a positive way. I’m continuing to pray for you and their families. ❤

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