8 of 252

Write now Article Tools

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age". Matthew 28:20

This verse lived on a banner on the front door of my parents home for many years. The banner was my youngest brother's; his choice for favorite bible verse for his confirmation.

This verse can simultaneously invoke goose bumps and tears in me whenever I hear it.

It is a part of what is called the great commission, given to the disciples by Jesus before he left them. These are the words he left to all Christians to follow, instructions to make disciples of all nations, and the promise that his spirit will remain with them forever.

And in no small way, they will always be the final and enduring words of my little brother, who moved on to the next world way before his time.

My brother Thomas loved to snow ski. Where we lived in Illinois near the Wisconsin border, there were ski runs on "hills", but he always dreamed of skiing Colorado. For a year he saved up money from his job at the local pizza place and earned enough to go on the Spring Break trip to Breckenridge with his two best friends.

They took the train. Upon arriving in Breckenridge, nothing could stop them from hitting the slopes first thing. The ride up the mountain made Thomas dizzy, but he thought nothing of it. This was IT, what he had waited and worked all this time to do.

It would be his only ride down, for at the bottom he collapsed, unable to breathe. Medical staff tried everything, but to no avail.

Officially the cause of death was Pulmonary Edema, due to the high altitude. It wasn't until later that we realized he had a heart defect which was triggered by the altitude, and coupled with the physical exertion he was a ticking time bomb.

He was just seventeen.

He died doing something he loved, leaving all of us that love him wondering why.

Today is his birthday; he would be thirty-three.

His verse pops up in my life from time to time, almost always when I most need to hear it. It feels a bit like my little brother talking to me, assuring me that I'm not alone. Someone who cares is looking out for me, always, to the very end of my life.

Thanks, brother, and Happy Birthday Thomas.

Learn more about this author, Tyra LaRocca.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Your favorite verse in the Bible, and what it means to you?
We want to hear your view. Write now!