I’ve known Val for about three decades. Over the years we’ve walked with each other through numerous challenges and shared joys of dreams realized and tears over dreams dashed. But never could we have imagined the journey we’ve shared over the past year. And more than any other time in our lives, I have felt honored that Val allowed me to walk with her, to talk with her, to hope with her, and to cry with her. Never could we have imagined that our friendship would bring us to a point of being together as one of us watched her child breathe her last breath.
It’s easy to assume and to realize that Julia’s life changed Bob and Val and their family forever. Of course it did. It had to. But the impact of Julia’s life is far greater and wider than that. Each of us is here because we have been impacted by Julia’s life. Some of you were privileged to meet her in person. Others knew her through the emails Val and Bob sent and through the blog Val kept for her. But in some way Julia has touched your life.
Julia certainly deepened community ties. At the preschool Mattie attends, parents were regularly asking one another what they had heard about Julia and whether there was any new update. People’s conversations had a new depth because of their care for Julia and her family. Small talk lost its power as it gave way to concern for a life that was lived precariously.
And Julia called people into a deeper life of prayer. I know that has been true for me. Julia was so constantly on my heart and in my thoughts and my thoughts turned to prayer. It was easy to pray for healing and when it seemed the healing I longed to see was not the healing God was going to grant, I clung to the promise of Scripture that the Spirit of God would intercede for me when I didn’t know how to pray.
I know many of you experienced something similar. You found yourself praying more because of her. As you made meals or gave rides or hosted play dates or just found yourself thinking about Julia as you watched your own children or walked through the details of life. And I truly believe that when we spend time in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ through prayer, we cannot help but be changed.
And it wasn’t just people who shared faith in Christ. There were those who question whether God exists that found themselves praying for sweet little Julia. Such was the impact of Julia and the love Bob and Val demonstrated for her through so much time spent with her during the long days at the hospital and visits to her after long days at work for Bob.
Julia touched the hearts of young children, those that know Mattie or know the Browns in some other way. But Julia also touched the hearts of the hospital staff and the doctors. She changed those who knew her.
I’m sure that as stories are shared it will be clear that Julia, who so badly needed healing herself, brought healing to the lives of others. I don’t mean to sugar coat anything. No impact or meaning can eclipse pain of her struggle, the reality of her death or the sadness of absence. But it does call us forward to honor her short life by allowing the ways she changed us to carry forth. To continue in our life of prayer. To continue in relationships of depth. I know that I want to continue to turn more quickly to prayer as I did and thereby honor Julia’s life and death.
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