Joshua Eddy -- A Young Man Who Made A Difference

Sorry I have not posted anything the last few days. I was stopped in my tracks not getting much of anything accomplished.  May 5th marks a day that will be remembered forever.  Joshua Eddy slipped off a rock while taking a picture and slipped into the Rogue River.  I personally have never talked with him however my son knew him and my niece graduated with him.  I have met his mom this past March during the speech tournamanet.  The yearning, the despair, the cries for not understanding were enough to rip anyones heart out.  My friends were huring so bad. I was hurting for Josh's family and friends too.  Days went  by and it was beautiful in once sence but heart wrenching at the same time.

On Sunday night after all this happened I lay there awake in my bed-- desperate to go to sleep.  The Lord kept pressing me to write something on facebook to my hurting friends.  Feeling very inadequate and feeling that this is such a raw moment for everyone I was very hesitant.  I thought maybe a pastor should do this -- not measly me. 

Memorizing scripture is very hard for me however on this night the Lord kept giving me scripture after scripture to put in what he was going to have me write.  Finally at 2 am I sat at the computer and this is what the Lord had me write to my friends that means so much to me.

After several hours of no sleep I kept feeling the prompting of the Lord to get up and write something he has to say to those who are going through so much pain and sorrow after the passing of Joshua Eddy. I tried to talk the Lord out of it because I was feeling very inadequate. I was thinking he needed to call on someone who was a pastor or something. Finally several hours later I set myself a...t the computer praying my way through this. These are words the Lord wants you to hear today.

My precious flock -- I am the Lord Almighty, The creator of all. Do not be sad but let your tears be turned to joy. I have Josh with me. I know it is hard to understand right now why I took him but all this will be so clear in the not to distant future. Trust in me.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalms 46:10

I know you loved him but I loved him more. I knitted him together in his mothers womb. I had a plan for him and a purpose and he fulfilled what I had in mind. He did finish well!  

 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother's womb.
Psalms 139:13

Yes he was my work put on this earth for my purpose. He served my purpose well. He was an amazing young man living each day to glorify my name.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:
and he delights in his way.
Psalms 37:23

His journey on earth was done. Your life is like a movie film. You can only see what has happened in the past and the here and now. I look down from the heavens and I can see the beginning, middle and the ending. Make your life count for me! Stop living for yourself. I created you for my purpose just like I did Joshua. I have a purpose for your life. Use my light to see where to step and which way to go. I am with you always just like I was with Joshua.

You will hear a voice behind you saying,
"This is the way. Follow it, whether it turns to the
right or to the left."
Isaiah 30:21

Trust in me my precious ones. I took him not to hurt you. Not to cause you pain and sorrow. I love you too much to do that to you. Accept my embrace so I can comfort you and dry your tears.

I took him to safety. I took him because I loved him so much. If only you knew how much I love him and how much I love you. Make your life count for me! I know his death looks tragically painful but it was quick. He did not suffer. The heavens opened up and ushered him in. If only you can see his face of peace and love that he has right now your mind would be at rest. Press in to me, let me comfort you during this time. You are so precious to me. I hurt when you hurt. I cry when you cry. If only you could see the big picture. I have grand plans for you. Trust in me!!

Your life is vapor. It is here one minute and gone the next.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are just a vapor that appears for a little while
and then vanishes away.
James 4:14

Live for me like Joshua did. I place people in your life to serve a purpose. Let your sorrows turn to joy. Celebrate his life. He is in a much better place now. No more pain and sorrow. Yes his body may still be missing but know that was a temporary housing where I kept his soul. His soul is with me now in heaven. Make sure your mind does not stray and get all distracted because they cannot find him. You know where he is. He is in the arms of his loving savior -- the One who created him. I love you my precious one!!

After posting this -- the mood changed.  The posts started coming in not so much as dispare but aknowledging Joshua life and what he had accomplished and what he meant to them.  It was a beautiful thing! Please continue to pray for those who were close to him and his family.  They are still hurting and missing their friend, son and brother.

This article below was written by a lady named Marliss Bombarbier.  She did a fabulous job telling about him and his life.

On Saturday, Josh Eddy, age 19, stood on the banks of the Rogue River in southern Oregon. The river, one of the original eight rivers designated as “Wild and Scenic” by Congress in 1968 for its amazing beauty and wilderness, was in spate with snow melt and raging with power. Josh, an artist with the camera, adjusted his camera settings, turned to the river to take a picture, and… fell in.
Josh was one of nine children in a homeschooling family that moved from Portland to Grant’s Pass a few years ago. He was very much a part of the huge homeschooling community in Oregon and Washington. I never spoke to him myself, but he was a dear friend to young people I know and love. Their world has been rocked. There is a sense of invulnerability when all life is in front of you, your body works well and you move with confidence, and your mind is sharp and facile. Then to have one of your own snatched away in a moment… Life suddenly becomes, oh, so precious, and oh—so fragile.

I prayed with some of Josh’s friends on Sunday at church. I wanted to just make it okay so badly, but I couldn’t. God is sovereign, and He is always wise and good, and always does what is best for His children out of His infinite love. That is our comfort, our peace, and our joy even when it hurts so much we hardly want to draw the next breath. These children are learning that lesson so early in life. I would have spared them, but I am not God and I don’t love them like He does.

I am thankful that these young people have a staunch faith in God. They hurt, but they know that Josh is rejoicing with Jesus, and they would not wish him back. They know that “precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints,” and “a good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” They know that for a Christian, “it is not death to die.”
Josh was in love with God and focused on His glory. You can learn about the heart of this young man here: The Bright and Hopeful Unknown. A post dated April 6^th is entitled, “To Die Well…” He thought about death a lot, and deeply desired to sacrifice himself for something worthwhile…to die that someone else might live. I have no doubt that God is answering that prayer.

It is easy to speculate about the ministry this extraordinary young man may have had in life, but already people near and far are being impacted by Josh’s writings and by testimonies shared about him. His blog has had more than 10,000 views, almost all of them in the past few days. Visit the Facebook page created on Sunday as a memorial, Joshua Steven Eddy, and read what friends and family have posted about his life and how he encouraged them to fight the good fight of faith.
What the world sees as a senseless, wasted death, God is using to bring Himself great glory. “God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are the called according to His purpose.” Josh will have a wider and deeper ministry in his death than he would have if he had lived. In God’s economy, nothing is ever senseless or wasted.

Scripture: Psa. 116:15; Eccl. 7.1; Rom. 8:28. Song title from Henri Malan (1787-1864) translated into English by George Bethune (1847).

Another place to learn more about Josh is here: First Impressions: The Movie. Josh was Director of Photography for this movie written, produced, directed, acted in, and filmed by homeschoolers. “First Impressions is an original full-length film based on the book by Jane Austen, ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ set in modern times, but with ‘flashbacks’ into Jane Austen’s story weaved in as the protagonist reads the book.” It is in the editing process, and is projected to be released in the fall. The picture is of Josh poised on the roof, filming.