Blog: Go Home Truck

February 3, 2008

“I rejoice knowing that Drew is the arms of Jesus this morning.”

Those are the words that Hank from Molino wrote on our memorial message board about 2-year-old Drew Marlow.

” I rejoice knowing that Drew is the arms of Jesus this morning.”

Drew and his father Danny died instantly in a two vehicle accident on Highway 97 Monday. Joyce McGahan died a few hours later at a Pensacola hospital. Those are the facts we all know by now about the accident that has shaken communities from Walnut Hill to Molino to Cantonment and beyond.

“I just can’t imagine losing my child and my husband and trying to understand why,” someone from Walnut Hill wrote in. I can’t tell you why it happened, beyond the fact that God has a plan. We may not alway agree with that plan, nor can we understand it all time.

I’m not going to try to provide any answers; I can’t. But I’m going to share a thought with you.

I drove past the accident site Tuesday afternoon, pretty close to 24 hours after the crash. A song by the contemporary Christian group “Casting Crowns” was playing in the car.

“Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west…In the arms of Your mercy I find rest ’cause You know just how far the east is from the west.” That’s the chorus of that song.

There along that straight stretch of Highway 97, many of you have enjoyed many a splendid sunrise as you drove by and looked to the east across the wide open fields. Many of you have driven that same stretch of Highway 97 in the late afternoons and enjoyed a spectacular sunset to the west. It’s probably one of the best places along all of Highway 97 to enjoy both the sunrise and the sunset. But just how far is it from the east to the west? It’s just one of those things about God’s world we can’t comprehend.

Drew understands. He knows. He has sat with the maker of the universe, the maker of the east and the west.

Many tears have been shed across the area this week for all three victims. People, myself included, that never knew Drew have been deeply touched by that little boy. He’s brought our communities together, and he has glorified the name of our Lord Jesus.

No preacher in the area will reach as many people this week as 2-year-old Drew did in the local media.

How you say? Read the Memorial Message Board that we started Tuesday. That’s just a small sampling of the overwhelming number of comments were received. But you’ll notice one common thread…Jesus. Most of the comments talk about God, Jesus, heaven and prayer.

Look at the front page of this past Wednesday’s Atmore Advance. Scripture is quoted from the Bible in an article by Publisher Adam Prestidge. Look at the editorial by Ryan Carter in this week’s Atmore News, or read it online here. In this week’s Tri-City Ledger, Janet Little Cooper explains what the Bible says about death.

Hundreds, thousands of souls have been touched by Drew. He’s touched lives in unimaginable ways this week. He has caused all of us to remember just how fragile our lives are, and caused many to exam their relationship with the Lord. He’s caused people to talk openly about life, death and eternity. Perhaps by losing his life, he’s caused many more to be saved.

I spent a lot of time this week reading your comments about Danny, Drew and Joyce. Not just the ones you read on the site. There were many more where someone just wanted to express a thought, but they just did not want to share it publicly. I know many of you have cried as you wrote your memorials, and the rest of us have cried right along with you as we read them.

But there was one that just tore me up. You see, I’m one of those people that when I read, I visualize things in my head. I never knew Drew. But I pictured this cute little boy, an innocent face, a sweet smile, a simple young child’s voice when I read this comment from Walnut Hill:

“My sweet Drew, I will miss you like crazy. I am so happy to have had the day to spend with you last week. I will forever treasure it. You will always be in my heart. If I could only hear you say “Go home truck?” again.”

Go home truck. Imagine a little boy saying that, wanting to do one of his favorite things and ride home in the truck.

Go home truck. Go home truck.

Drew did go home truck Monday afternoon. Home to the streets of gold to touch the face of God.

“I rejoice knowing that Drew is the arms of Jesus this morning.”

–William

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Blog