Remembering My Nephew     

Trust God! I Don't Understand          

I don't always claim to understand everything about God. This week reigns paramount for me. It has been one

Portia Gentry with her son Leon "Lil' Lee" Jr.

of those times when the scripture, "Trust in the Lord and lean not unto your own understanding," has been carrying me through the week.

I was awakened on Sunday with a telephone call from my nephew's wife informing me that the hospital was summoning us to come there. He had experienced cardiac arrest and was minutes from leaving this world. After getting to the hospital not shortly thereafter my beloved nephew, Leon "Lil' Lee" Gentry Jr. made his transition to be with the Lord.

His passing represented more to me than just losing a favorite nephew. My finite understanding could not comprehend why this family. My sister Portia, Lil' Lee's mother and my spiritual mentor, made her transition in 2003 and her daughter preceded her in 1997. This was the sister who remained in the church and brought her children up in the admonishing of the Lord. She was a faith warrior and much of who I am in Christ I owe to her. Her children never stopped attending and supporting the church. Their family was what we considered to be the ideal family...mother, father and children loving each other, playing and praying together. They were rooted in God.

Why? As I stood at the foot of his bed singing to him as he slipped away, I couldn't understand why this family has had to undergo such suffering and death. As I watched his father say good-bye to his last remaining biological son, they adopted one of my nieces as their daughter; I couldn't grasp the reason why.

You see, this was also my family as well. More than any other sibling Portia invited me into her family. I would always thank her for allowing me to share her family and to be a part of her children's lives. There was no jealousy as though I was trying to take her place. In essence, this was my family as well. She even entrusted her family to me prior to her transition and I tried my best to fulfill that covenant promise.

Trusting God means that we trust him in understanding and when we don't understand. It is in those times of not understanding when you have to draw on your faith and your relationship with Him as never before. Some things we may never have complete comprehension as to the reason why. Truly, does God owe us an explanation? For sure we owe Him our trust. In times like these when we can't make sense out of it all and not lean unto our own understanding, but we have to place all our trust in Him.

Viewing

3:00 to 8:00 p.m., Friday, July 29, 2011

Andrews & Hardy Funeral Home

13841 Gratiot Avenue

Detroit MI 48205 

Family Hour 

10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday, July 30, 2011

Services

11:00 a.m., Saturday, July 30, 2011 

Faith Clinic Church of God In Christ

12260 Camden

Detroit MI 48213 

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