Filtering Life

Most of you who regularly read my blog probably know I live in Lynchburg, Virginia. Many people outside of Virginia usually ask, “Isn’t that where Falwell’s college is?” Yeah, I’d answer sheepishly, it is. It is funny how life happens in cycles. I wanted to go to Liberty University ever since I was in 5th grade. Pathetic, I know. What it really boiled down to was we visited the school and I saw some hot college guys and I knew this would be the place for me. Yeah, I know…5th grade…scary boy crazy Kelly! I knew who Jerry Falwell was, but I have to be honest, I have never been into politics so it meant nothing to me to be affiliated with him. I did want a Christian university and I did want to be in the south (18 years of bitter northern winters will do it to you!) That was my only two stipulations. I set the bar high didn’t I?

I have played several roles since moving to Lynchburg 13 years ago: student, staff at LU, Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce member, city employee, and resident. I have gotten to see through many different lenses, some very close up and some very far away how Lynchburg and Falwell are viewed. When I was a student I loved every minute of my time at LU. It was a blast…yeah it had rules….but I made some of the most amazing friends of my life, got involved with the most incredible church, and experienced the love of Christ on a totally different level, away from my parents, forging ahead and figuring out on my own, what I believed.

Jerry Falwell’s name is synonymous with controversy. Ironically, for all the thousands of times he has spoken, he has only gotten in hot water over a handful of comments. Love him, hate him or be indifferent to him….the world knows the name Falwell. He was a man of unwavering standards, a man who rose well before dawn, read his bible and prayed for this county and God’s people. He wasn’t perfect, Lord knows he never tried to be popular, but for a man of 73 years he accomplished more than 10,000 people could.

Jerry was a staple around Lynchburg. When I worked at Liberty for the Vice President, I saw him all the time. He thought it was rather funny to scare me each and every time he came down to my office by standing behind me and loudly snapping in my ears at the same time. I have a photo of me playfully socking him in the gut after he put me in a head lock. He was always a kid at heart, loved to play pranks, loved to terrorize students by chasing after them in his SUV even going up on curbs for a laugh. He had a supernatural way in which he remembered people’s names. It blew me away, no matter what country he had been to, he always came back and embraced little ole Lynchburg with familiarity and approachability.

Once I was out of college and working in Lynchburg I began to really see how controversial Falwell was. There were times I was really embarrassed to be a Liberty grad. I always hoped to avoid that question when people would ask me at a networking party, “How did you come to Lynchburg?” If I said Liberty University I got one of two facial expressions. You can guess what they were. People weren’t shy to bash him or praise him. I fell somewhere in the middle. I didn’t agree with everything he said, but I did think he was a very good man at heart. Even Larry Flynt, founder of Hustler, found an unlikely kindred in Jerry Falwell.

I was at my old roommates house last Tuesday when I got the news from Ryan that Jerry died one hour earlier. An eerie chill came over me and a sense of shock. Not because we were so close, but because you just assume someone will always be there. I had just seen him a few weeks prior driving behind me giving me his big boisterous wave. A small sense of shame came creeping in that I know I had not always been the kindest about him. Deep down, I admire his tenacity, I admire that he didn’t care what people thought, that to the best of his human ability he tried to do the right thing, even if it wasn’t popular. I know myself, I know that I can cave when it comes down to feeling stupid or I have to stand up for what is right. As I get older, this gets easier, but my humanity seems to sneak in a lot and point it’s cowardly finger at me. You would never call Jerry Falwell a coward. That is one word that is not synonymous with his name.

My parents came down this weekend. They are very faithful Falwell advocates. My dad wanted to go to his viewing on Sunday and I decided to go with him. We stood in line for over an hour to get our 10 seconds standing two feet away from his pale, lifeless body. I didn’t feel as though I wanted to cry, although I have to admit I welled up. Jerry Falwell is a VERY large man, with a VERY deep voice, and a VERY strong hug. Here he was, his body slowly decaying, clenching a beautiful leather bible, surrounded by more flowers than I could count. There was a peace about him, like one that surrounds a man who has made the most of their life. No loose ends, nothing regretted, just a laborer ready to go home. I was one of the 33,000 people who viewed him over the 5 days, not to mention the thousands and thousands that were at his funeral today. Who has an impact like that? His funeral was beautiful, inspiring, and spirit filled.

When death disrupts your life from a distance, you begin to think about your own mortality. Who would come to your funeral, what would they say, will you be remembered, have you made an eternal impact, did you waste your life on frivolous pursuits or did you take your handful of years and live them to the fullest? Did you know love, experience love, and live love? Did you have eyes to see those in need and live outside of your own selfish ambitions? Did you see the wonder of this glorious planet through travel, music, food, and laughter? Did you come to live in the freedom that a relationship with the Lord can give you while you spend your years on this earth? My motto over the last ten years is that I want to live the extraordinary life, not the ordinary life. I have never had the American dream in my heart. God designed me to have wings, to travel, to experience, to meet people and taste different cultures, and to spread the love of Christ where I go. We eagerly await our time to leave Lynchburg as a family.

As unlikely as an inspiration as a funeral can be…it was to me today. We all know that life is short and yet we live as though it lasts forever. May you be inspired in your own life. May you realize that the most important thing you can do is invest in the lives around you and drink in the richness of an abundant life, one that God so generously gave us.