Time

Quite often the world measures time as a comparison. The most obvious is the distinction between BC and AD. But when you think about it, there are a lot of things when reading or thinking about history you need to be reminded this was before or after such and such. The Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, the development of atomic weapons, etc. These, and many more are water-shed moments in human history. These events had such an impact that life cannot be seen but different after the fact.

These water-shed moments do not need to have a global impact to be the "before and after" moments for certain people. For myself and my family that moment occurred on August 15, 2000. Since that time our lives have been radically different. Time is relative to that moment.

It was ten days since my sister's wedding. I was back in Escondido (CA) for a few days to celebrate which was nice because I hadn't been home since Christmas. We had a great time the days surrounding the wedding with friends and family (a lot of whom made the trek out for the wedding, which was great!). A week later I was back in Chicago and back at work (for a few days now). On this Tuesday morning I was driving a 24' box truck with a co-worker to Rockford, IL for a job. Around 7:00am I got "911" on my pager. "911" normally meant there was an emergency spill that I needed to respond to, however, I was on a scheduled job. I was kind of frustrated that I got this page, "Don't they know I am on a job?" I called the office and got a message to call either my Grandpa or my mom. I immediately knew something was wrong, but I thought something had happened to my Grandma. What else could it have been?

So I called my mom. Then my world caved in.

It took me a few seconds to actually understand what she was saying. I started to scream into the phone. By this time I was trying to drive the truck onto the shoulder of Interstate 90 so I could stop. I stopped the truck and continued to "talk" to my mom in shock and disbelief. I don't think there was much of a conversation except her telling me, "Dad had a heart attack last night and didn't make it." All I could yell into the phone was to clarify that my Dad, Keith Vander Pol, was the one who had the heart attack and didn't make it.

The next couple of days were surreal to say the least. It is one thing to know people liked your dad. But to find out from hundreds of people from across the country how much he was respected and loved is something I will never forget. The director at the mortuary told us before we went in for the family visitation that he had never seen so many flowers, and he didn't see our house! The number of cards was almost overwhelming and the church was packed for the funeral service. Even to this day I hear from people how much he meant to them.

God's omnipotence is an amazing thing. Even though he took my dad home in what we thought was the prime of his life (age 48) he obviously had done all that God required of him. The Westminster Seminary California Chapel was a project that my father had worked on for years. It is fitting, then, that a climax for him was to see his daughter get married in that very chapel. Last week I was looking through some blueprints of the seminary. In one roll were some sketches of chapel designs. On one of the designs were some pieces of paper taped to the architect's drawings where my dad had put his ideas for certain elements of the building. I loved seeing that! I love being around the seminary once again. A place that my dad loved and cared for deeply. I may never know why my heavenly Father took my earthly father away, but I do know that God in his Providence has blessed my family beyond measure.

So much has happened in my family and in this world since that day, and I am constantly relating those events in time to August 15, 2000. Before and after dad's death. So many things have happened in my life that I would give anything to have my father there to experience them with and to talk with him about. But I know that he is in a far, far better place worshipping with the saints waiting the return of Christ and the resurrection of his body which will then be glorified! Amen!

I will end with the passage we chose for the funeral service was underlined in a couple of my dad's Bibles.

³³Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!

³⁴"Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?"

³⁵"Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay him?"

³⁶For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever!

Sola Deo Gloria