I have known my brother-in-law for 52 years. I introduced him to my sister back in high school. He is one of the most Christ-centered, loving and gracious men I have ever had the blessing to know. The Spirit of the resurrected Christ truly lives in him. He is not a pastor or clergy; he teaches Comparative Religion in a college, plays in the praise band and teaches the Bible at his church. 

Through the years we have been on several adventures together. One that comes to mind was in the Texas Hill Country on the Guadalupe River. We planned this trip down the river to Gruene, Texas. As a young minister and youth director, I had recently taken several groups of youth down Louisiana rivers like the Bogue Chitto and Tangipahoa in Southeast Louisiana. Those broad, deep rivers were good for canoeing. I considered myself a really good canoeist by the time we planned this trip. We found Jerry’s Rentals near Canyon Lake, and I noticed that most floaters were getting tubes, not canoes. But I was determined to show off my skills in paddling. They took us to a drop point for a three-hour float (“A Three-Hour Tour. . .”). 

We started well enough. The Guadalupe was deep and wide here and with the summer sun bearing down, we glided through the water. Then it got interesting. The river narrowed and we hit bottom. Meanwhile the tube floaters circled around us enjoying cold beverages and having fun. We were soon out of the aluminum canoe, dragging it over the sand bars and Texas gravel- for nearly two hours! Our feet sank up to our calves on the soft bottom as we tugged and carried that vessel. With sweat and salt in our eyes, my brother-in-law broke his glasses. And yet, being the Christ-like person he is, he never said to me what I very much deserved, “You knucklehead! It was your vanity that got us into this mess!”

We were beyond exhaustion when we made the landing in Gruene. My sister was waiting with the car and even though we had plans to go eat in town, we just went to the hotel, took showers, and crashed. I will never forget the kindness and grace shown to me by my brother-in-law that day. It has come to mind when I have had something to blame on someone. Please pray for him. He has been diagnosed with a very serious disease and is going through a difficult treatment to save his life. Pray for my sister, too, she is taking such good care of him.

My prayer for you is that you have someone in your life who is like that, day after day, year after year. Someone that lives the life of the resurrected Christ, who shows grace and mercy to everyone, every day. May that be said of us!

(Steve Berger is pastor of First Methodist Church Minden, a Global Methodist Church. He is the husband of Dianne, his partner in ministry, they have two adult sons, a dachshund, and love living in Minden.)