“THE ESSENCE OF LOVE IS GIVING. THE ESSENCE OF LIFE IS LOVE.”
Quote of Chandler found on front cover of his Bible.
Chandler wrote these words on the inside cover page of his Bible. The theme of Chandler’s life is “One word: LOVE”. And for Chandler, living a life of love meant living a life of giving, and being righteous meant being benevolent.
Chandler’s life exemplified giving. He gave of his time, he gave of his energy, he gave of his resources, he gave of his talents, he shared his emotions and passions, he gave his heart and he gave his love. Really, he gave himself fully. Interestingly, one of Chandlers all-time favorite books to read as a child was The Giving Tree. He wanted to read it over and over and later in life even shared the story with his students in China. It is a story about giving all of yourself, even to the point of not having anything else to give.
The Giving Tree- One of Chandler's favorite books.
Chandler understood that life is too short to not take advantage of every moment. He was characterized by investing in the lives of others, and he always gave 110%. Almost everyone he met and spent time with considered him to be one of, if not their best friend. Principal Zheng, at the Dandelion School in China said that he would usually skip lunch so that he could teach additional classes and that he would always stay after school to spend his afternoons and evenings with his students. She said that of all the hundreds of volunteers that have come to her school, she has never before seen someone give so much love, time and attention to the students as Chandler did.
Chandler teaching guitar to chinese friends
He also gave himself fully to His Lord. Chandler used his talents in writing, singing and playing music to bring honor to God and express the beauty of life. He thrived on leading others in worship to the King! He also spent hours and hours alone in his room and out in the woods crying out in prayer and praise and reading his Bible. He gave!
The essence of our lives should be about giving ultimately because Christ’s life was about giving. Jesus loved and gave first. (2 Corinthians 8:9) That was His mission here on earth: to give hope to mankind. As it speaks of Him in Isaiah 61, “The Lord has appointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and to comfort all who mourn.”
One of the blessings the Lord has given me through my grief is opening my eyes and heart to those hurting around me. And there are a lot hurting people out there. They hang out at cemeteries. They are at the hospitals. They are living on the streets. They stay and eat at homeless shelters. They are in prisons. They are in nursing homes and orphanages. They live in extreme poverty in third world countries. They stand in the grocery store line next to you. They work with you. They are at your school sitting beside you. DO YOU SEE THEM? All too often we get caught up in the business of our life— activities, school, work, relationships, even church. All of these are good things, but we CAN NOT let them distract us from the pains and hurts of this world.
Found on same Bible cover page.
You see, ‘Love’ is an action word. Give. Go. Do. Loving isn’t about head knowledge, it is about acting on that knowledge. Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for Me.” We do it for Him!
Now, as we enter 2013, may we ask our Father to open our eyes and to soften our hearts to the lost and the hurting people all around us. May this be a year of Giving! Will we be willing to “give, but give until it hurts”? -(Mother Teresa) “Give until you have nothing left to give; then give a little more.”– (unknown)
Thank you Chandler for GIVING to us and being an example of a true giver! May the Lord bless you richly in 2013! –Chuck and Christian
P.S. As our pastor, Joe Fauss, concludes almost every Sunday service: “Go- Find a need and meet it……Find a hurt and heal it.”
We are proud to share this short video presented to Chandler by the Dandelion School when he left China.
Thank you for your son…I know how thankful I am for my son, and when I watched this video, words could not express how moved I was with sadness (for your loss) and joy (of how one person in such a short time can make SUCH a difference in SO many lives). I know it takes courage to watch videos like these of your Jimmy because he isn’t my son, yet, I felt your grievance of the loss of your precious son…so, thank you for the huge gift you gave of your son!
Such a great reminder to all of us. Love is an action word. This applies to every relationship and facet of life, doesn’t it? Love you all and hope 2013 is a fruitful year for your family and ministry!
Jennifer
So true that grief causes us to be compassionate for others who are hurting! Chandler seemed to understand this better than most people. He was a giver of many things…especially love! He truly invested in the lives of others. Thanks for sharing!
There are certain songs that, when I hear them, I think of Jimmy. One of them is Brandon Heath’s song, “Give me your eyes.” It reflects much of what you have expressed here…the desire to see people as Jesus does and to reach out. Chuck and Christian – and Jimmy – thank you for this reminder to be a doer and not a hearer only.
Janet, thanks for this comment! What a great song and so applicable to this message! The song I was actually thinking of when writing this blog was Keith Green’s “Open Your eyes”. I am so challenged by both of these songs. Your right-on with your challenge to be a doer and not just a hearer!