When faith is young there is a wondrous stepping out. Lord please grant me one more child even though there are great obstacles. This was the days of RH negative blood with no RhoGam shot to make things right. This young couple had two healthy children, although the second needed a blood transfusion when born. So with blinders on when doctors gave no encouragement the God this young mother pleaded with granted her heart's desire.
Jeffrey Mark Hood arrived three weeks early on April 23, 1971. By no choice of his he became the "baby" of the family. This means even when you are a grown you are still the baby. He was the delight of his older brother and sister, the little boy who was just like his daddy and the mother's heart. As a child he played hard and laughed much. Life was always something for him to grab on to. At the age of ten he asked Jesus to live in his heart and he was so sincere. Many years later he would struggle with disappointment in life and trying to be all that people expected of him. During this time I came to see he had such a free spirit that he could not be held captive. He loved working outside with his hands and when he tried to work a forty hour job he would say, "I just don't understand why people work so hard for stuff" and this was pondered in my heart.
When Jeffrey's dad died this free spirit looked at eternity like he never had before. How could he know that in almost three months his course on this earth would be over? When the mother of young faith asked for this child never did she look into the years ahead. In this place called earth she thought parents die before children, but that was because she was not looking at life as a gift that might only be given for certain days. On May 28, 2008 Jeffrey Mark Hood left this earth. He had just left his girlfriend's house and he had prayed with her before he left. One of things he confessed was that he had been mad at God for taking his dad, but not anymore. He had come full circle and made peace. How could he know how important that prayer would be and that right down the road he would be ushered into eternity?
How do you explain to his young boys, Eli and Noah that life is a gift? Perhaps in light of eternity. As I think of Jeffrey's heart always wanting to be free there are lessons for me to learn from him. After all it is the every day things that so hold us down. My heart, though filled with pain is so thankful for the years with this child. God is faithful, He gave me a gift and that gift was my heart for thirty-seven years. Thank you Lord that you do all things well.
