WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE NUMBER 24?

IT MEANS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO ME.

It has been quite a while since I have posted a blog, so I hope you will be forgiving of any mistakes I make.

Do you have a favorite number? Is it the number of people in your family? Do you consider it a lucky number? How did this number become important in your life?

This year, the number I remember, is the number 24. What is so special about the number 24, you may ask? Well 24 is the atomic number for chromium, hard silvery gray metal. It is also the number of letters in the Greek alphabet. 24 is also the standard frames per second for a film projector. There are 24 elements that make up the human body. 24 is a symbol of priesthood, and also symbolizes harmony between Earth and sky. A 24 sided polygon is called icosikaitera. (Say that five times fast).

These are all very interesting facts, but what has that got to do with what is important today. Well, let me tell you a little story about how the number 24 relates to August 17, 2020.

After working all day in the hot sun putting a new roof on the house of my son’s potential mother-in-law, he, his fiancée, and the friend that helped them on the roof sat around the campfire and tried to relax and drink a couple cold beers. While my son Jason was content to sit there and enjoy the company and the atmosphere, his friend wanted to go out, and cajoled relentlessly, until Jason agreed. The only condition set by his fiancée was to bring her back some Burger King. Little did she know, he and his friend would lose control of the car causing them to hit a tree, and it would be the last time she ever saw him.

We have a tradition in our family, concerning birthdays. If your number of years match the day you were born, we call it your golden birthday. So if we followed that tradition concerning Jason, this is his golden birthday in heaven. You see he died 24 years ago today, and he was 24 years of age when it happened.

Offhand this sounds a little bit morbid and depressing to bring up for remembrance. But my intent is merely to help some of my close friends who have suffered losses in their own lives recently. Perhaps some of my experience can be of some help in some small way to what they’re going through.

You see the grieving process after a significant loss is not fast, or overnight. Even after several weeks and condolences, encouragement and support, the pain is still sharp and ever present. The fact that you are still grieving after a significant amount of time shows how much you love and the enormous hole it left in your heart. Many people have said many platitudes to you, and expect you to smile and say that you are ‘fine’, when in fact you are not, but that’s okay. There is no set time for grieving, I am fortunate that my grieving time was relatively short, but my remembering  will be everlasting.

How did I get over it so fast? My answer to that would be, I had a lot of help, but not of this world, my help came from heaven. You see, I can rest in the knowledge that my son Jason was a born-again Christian. True his actions didn’t always scream out loud, “I am a Christian”! But, he and I both knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that, when he became absent from his body, he was in the presence of the Lord. How can we know that for sure you ask? Because it is promised over and over in the Bible.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. II Corinthians 5:8

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. John 6:4

Part of the grieving process is putting one foot in front of the other, day after day. Eventually the pain will be less.

You know whenever possible I will find a song that will fit nicely into the point I’m trying to make. When I said I had help from above, I mean the great counselor, friend, the prince of peace, confidante, healer, and the list goes on and on, as he is the unfathomable God. Here’s a song I’ve chosen for today.

Just a Little Talk With Jesus

The Statler Brothers

I once was lost in sin but Jesus took me in
And then a little light from Heaven filled my soul
He bathed my heart in love and wrote my name above
And just a little talk with Jesus made me whole

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus
Let us tell Him all about our troubles
He will hear our faintest cry and we will answer by and by
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning
You’ll know a little fire is burning
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right

I may have doubts and fears my eyes be filled with tears
But Jesus is a friend who watches day and night
Oh, I go to Him in prayer, He knows my every care
And just a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

Prayer is just a little talk with Jesus. He is always there, He will always listen, He will always share your burdens, and make them lighter. So if you’re grieving, I suggest you have a little talk, or many, many little talks with Jesus, and with each talk, (prayer), receiving a little more grace, a little more comfort, and a little more peace.