A couple of weeks ago we received the very sad news that a student we had in youth group a couple of years ago had passed away.  Steven didn’t attend our church but he came to our youth group through the invitation of a friend.  We only had a small time to get to know him, he came to our meetings for about 6 months before moving on, but we enjoyed seeing God work in his heart and life in that time.  After high school Steven joined the Marines and was stationed in Thailand.  One of our Pastors knew Steven and his family well and wrote the following tribute:  Tribute To A United States Marine

This Monday past, I attended funeral services for a 20 year old United States Marine. He was the son of a treasured friend. The nephew of several cherished friends of mine. The grandson of precious friends.

Lance Cpl. Steven M. West was a young man who defied the conventions of many his own age. He was Passionate about serving his country, Passionate about improving his musical skills, Passionate about pursuing excellence, and above all Passionate about His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Steven was Fearless. He would tackle with great skill, focus, and enthusiasm whatever task was before him. This is part of what made him such an incredible musician. Those scales and techniques which others found intimidating, Steven approached them with great gusto – as if they were hills to be ascended in order to secure a strategic foothold in pursuit of enemy forces. He feared no man, and he bowed not at the foot of conventional human wisdom. He was Fearless in his pursuit of knowledge in Christ. When Steven asked a question about the Lord, he didn’t want a pat answer. He wanted to know, with no holds barred, what the Truth was in the matter. And then he would be Fearless in facing whatever that Truth would have for him.

In Steven’s economy, nothing was worth doing halfway, especially in service to others. When he decided to DO something, he poured himself into that task completely, leaving nothing in reserve. He once jumped up onto a roof and helped me finish nailing shingles into it. Never asked if I would like his help, he simply dove into it. Then he jumped off the roof and was on his way. He saw an unmet need, pursued with great vitality the servicing of that need, and then moved onto whatever else God had for him that day. He sought no reward or thanks. Steven was content in having done something helpful to the best of his ability.

These qualities taken together, Passion and Fearlessness, succinctly describe Steven’s approach to life. No hill or mountain or obstacle looked insurmountable to Steven. Had he been called to defend his country in the mountains of Afghanistan or in the cities of Iraq, there’s no question that THIS Marine would have answered the call, and like so many who had preceded him, would have poured his very life into the mission at hand.

There’s a lot for the rest of us to learn from the life of Steven West.

You see, when we are committed to living life as carefully and as perfectly planned out as is humanly possible – passion tends to find its own demise. There is great personal risk in serving our nation as a United State Marine. There is great personal risk in serving Jesus Christ with all your heart and soul and mind. And yet, it is impossible to do either fearlessly without commitment and determination and the will to persevere. And in both cases but, especially in the case of faith in Jesus Christ, these qualities come at the expense of one’s pride.

Steven understood the grace that God bestowed upon him through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And this understanding enlarged his heart further still for the mission of his young life – Serving his Lord and his country. You couldn’t rip away his faith, you couldn’t tear apart his drive and desire to excel, and you couldn’t stop this young man from serving the United States of America in the uniform of a U.S. Marine. He served in life with dignity and left this earthly place with an honor well acknowledged.

Today, Steven is with our Lord and Savior. We’ll see him again. And together we’ll rejoice and praise God in that heavenly place that He has prepared for His children. Until that day, we salute Lance Cpl. Steven M. West’s service to our nation, and we thank God for His ever enduring and boundless grace.

Amen

Pastor Pete