He wore a flannel shirt.
Not a three piece suit.
Not a crisp white shirt and a tie.
But at his home-going celebration,
My brother ‘n law Andy wore a baseball hat, blue jeans and a flannel shirt,
All befitting the simple man he embodied in life.
Remembering though…
There’s always another story.
There’s more than meets the eye.
W.H. Auden
Unbeknownst to me who didn’t get the memo, family members young and old, prepared in advance and arrived at Andy’s Celebration of Life to honor their father, papa, uncle and friend, each dressed as Andy was dressed, sporting a flannel shirt.
A family honored the man behind the shirt.
Their outward expression for an inward love they each had known in the individual ways Andy shared his life with them.
Author and Speaker Dr. John A. Tetsola said it best from his book titled…
The Power of Honor
Honor means to value.
To value means to hold something or someone
In high regard and esteem in your heart and in your sight.
Family and flannel were mirrored reflections of the other through our tears, our smiles, our laughter and our joy in remembering Andy that day.
Not wanting the day to end in our good-byes…
As this signaled the continuation of our journey minus Andy’s presence behind the shirt…
At least for now on this side of heaven.
But as I stated earlier…
There’s always another story.
There’s more than meets the eye.
W.H. Auden
Because it is written…
For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.
Luke 8:17 NLT
Because in the days of going on and packing up of Andy’s office, the true man behind the flannel shirt was discovered and made known to all from the drawers and closet from which they were concealed; even to his wife.
While Andy was known as a God fearing man in the way he lived his life, the way he raised his children, loved his grandchildren, and submitted himself to the mandates of a Godly marriage.
A deeper version of the man behind the shirt was revealed through the binders and books of notes written from the pen of Andy’s hand, a student of the Word, searching and studying for more of Him, learning the ways and attributes of God.
It would have been so easy to take the outward appearance of Andy’s flannel shirt and honor the simple man which he was, yet overlooking the possibilities, the inner qualities one might be hiding in the secret place, as Andy did.
Yet, God’s love for us shines a bright light and sees our heart, our character, and who we truly are on the inside.
Nothing is overlooked.
…For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
1 Samuel 16:7 AMP
What was done in secret was brought out into the open, with Andy preaching his life’s message, his final sermon spoken and passed into the hands of the generations ready to receive the hand-off of his legacy, ready to run their race set before them…
Seeking, searching, earnestly looking for more of God,
Who promises to find us in this pursuit.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
Proverbs 8:17 NIV
How interesting though,
To know the son, you’ve known the father, both students of the Word.
Like father, like son.
Two ”seeking” men behind the shirt.
