Today, many people I know are both mourning the loss of a great man and servant of God, while also celebrating that he is cancer-free, sitting with a host of saints at the feet of Jesus. Scott Hoskins—a man who bravely battled brain cancer with an irreplaceable joy—passed away last night. He is more alive right now than he has ever been. And he will be sorely missed.
Scott was like my dad, even as he faced, fought and prayed through fighting a terminal disease. His faith never waivered, his hope and love for others constantly shined through to the very end. I was able to briefly see him a week and half ago. I was met with words praising Jesus, followed by questions about the “little ones,” my two kiddos. That was Scott. At all times he wanted to positively impact the people within his three-foot radius. He absolutely accomplished this—every single day.
Last March, I wrote a blog about my thoughts on why bad things happen to good people, so I am not going to reiterate that. However, as I have processed this more, there are a few things I would like to add to what I said previously.
Gratitude for the life that we have been given—not the things we have been given—will carry us through the hardest of times. It can be so easy to lose site of all that we should be grateful for. But even in the face of brain cancer, saying goodbye to a husband or wife, or kissing your grandkids for the last time, we can have joy. We have gratitude as believers and followers of Jesus because we have not only contributed to something so much bigger then ourselves, but because we have hope, and because goodbyes are temporary.
In my last blog, I touched on the fact that we have the responsibility to use peoples’ stories for good. Scott wanted to impact that three-foot radius. His life impacted everyone he knew. And in turn, we can impact those within our three-foot radius too. Scott’s story is a powerful way to do that—his legacy and example will continue pointing to his savior through those of us who knew him.
Saying goodbye is bittersweet. But in the midst of the pain we have been given a gift in his story, that we can use to bless and encourage the lives of countless others.
Keith Sampson
Executive Coordinator – God of Hope