We say this about people sometimes, but we don’t usually mean it literally; it’s a nice thing to say though. I lost a dear friend, a dear brother in Christ the other day, and he was respected by all knew him: I mean that literally.

Don Harris was not famous, nor was he a wealthy man. He was a man like any other, when you come right down to it, except that he was respected by all who knew him, and I think I can tell you why that was.

First and foremost, Don loved Jesus Christ. If you haven’t got that fact, you will never understand him. Yes, Don loved Jesus; that’s just all there was to it. See? It’s so simple, but that was the beginning, not the end of the matter, for Don found a way to put his love for Jesus into action every day.

Don was the kind of man who always had a smile and a kind word. His sense of humor was amazing; he could make a light hearted joke about almost anything; if you wanted to find him, just follow the laughter. Mind you, I never heard him tell a joke that was off color, they were just innocently funny, and he loved to laugh. He was a Korean War Era Vet who had served on C-47’s in the Air Corps, oh how he loved those planes! He could tell stories for hours about his adventures in the air, dumb mistakes made by officers, humorous little anecdotes about those days, and as someone who grew up hearing my father tell similar tales, I could never quite get enough of them.

He was also a family man who had raised his children in the love of the Lord, who was devoted to his late wife Millie, and who spoke with pride about his family. Yet he hadn’t come from perfect circumstances; he could also tell stories about how hard is was growing up in less than ideal circumstances, but it would always come back to following Jesus Christ. His young pastor said that Don was “hardcore for Jesus” and that was sure true… and Don really liked that. Yes, hardcore for Jesus for sure. As much as he liked to laugh and keep things light hearted, he could also be very serious. Lots of people would seek him out for fatherly wisdom, and I was no stranger to doing that myself. Don had a way of getting right to the heart of the matter, dispensing wisdom that was truly insightful, and then finishing up with a story that made you laugh, particularly when he was telling you what you didn’t especially want to hear, and that my friend is grace in practice.

I’ll tell you this, even the most difficult people would listen to what Don had to say, for all knew that he was both humble and wise; he had a way of diffusing a tough situation, such is grace and love in action.

Don died suddenly the other day, and we will all surely miss him; he had carried the banner of Christ forward for many decades and now he has gone to be with the Lord. It is a sad day for those of us who will miss him, and a great day of welcome in heaven.

Don set a great example for us to follow, and I would say that the best thing we can do to honor him, is to follow his example of grace and love in action, with a sincere smile and a kind word for everyone.

I firmly believe that heaven is a house of reunions, and I am looking forward to hearing Don’s laugh again in the presence of Jesus Himself one day.