In Memory of Bob

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"

• before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain;


• when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim;


• when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades;


• when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint;


• when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets;


• when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred.

Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.

Remember Him—before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. -- Ecclesiastes 12 (NIV)

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female.” Genesis 1:27 (NIV)

Robert James Dakota Wilson (1970-2009)

There’s an old hymn that, in one of its more poetic verses, says

‘Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.’

For thousands of years, humankind has attempted to describe the awesomeness of their Creator, the beauty of life, the mystery of the unknown, the meaning of life, and the love of God. Perhaps F.M. Lehman, the writer of this hymn, comes the closest to being accurate. In other words . . . we can’t; it’s humanly impossible for us to capture the immensity of God, the vastness of His love for us, and ultimately what that means for us.

What we should know is that only God can describe Himself . . . and for that He simply said, “I Am." Confused, we ask: “But what are You?” He replies: “All that is, has been, and ever will be. I am the Beginning and the End.” “Then, what are we?” we ask. “You are my creation,” He says, “created in my image.”

Robert James Dakota Wilson was God’s creation, and, if we believe the Scriptures, nearly the spitting-image of God himself, revealed to the world on December 5, 1970. Knitted in his mother’s womb and taught at his father’s side, Bob took on the characteristics of the work of art that he was. He was son to Evelyn and Les; brother to Bill, Rita, Kelly, Teresa, Tammy and Joshua Dean; husband to Lisa; fiance’ to Michel; father to Aric and Ethan; and friend to us all. He was intelligent, articulate, fun-loving, and wry-witted. He found life intriguing, paradoxical, whimsical, ironic, and, yes, even cruel. The moments of his life – like ours – wavered between fulfillment and emptiness, happiness and despondency, joy and sorrow, contentment and frustration, acceptance and separation, and, in the end, between the seconds of an ordinary day and the forever of eternity.

But what of this image found in Bob, this image of God we each possess? What characteristics of Him may we find, even in a life cut short? Even in a life tinted by mistakes? Even in a life haunted by Adams’s sin? Be careful not to think only of Bob right now, for this pertains to all. Each will live a life too short, a life colored by our poor judgments, and a life ravaged, perhaps not by disease, but by the cancer of sin. What did Paul say? . . . “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Where then can the image of God be seen and how can the Glory of God be revealed in us? To answer that, all we have to do is – for this day – to look at Bob. For in him, we see the Lord’s creativity: a painting, a photo, a sketch, a homemade video, a song, even a silly ‘shrunken head’ – all attesting to Bob’s creative energies, his unique view of the world, and his love for the peculiar. In Bob, we see the Lord’s love: a smile, a laugh, a word of warmth, an unwarranted courtesy extended, an unconditional respect for those around him – all evidence that Bob knew of how the Lord wanted us to treat each other. And, in the workings of his mind, we glimpse the mind of God: the love of Truth, the desire for an authentic life, the craving for a world without evil, and the calculating logic that would sift for the grains of ultimate Reality.

Some might be want to lessen the impact of a man’s life because he seemed to search too much or ask too many questions or even color outside the lines too many times. Some might even say that of Bob. In Phillipians 2:12, Paul tells us

Therefore, my dear friends … continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Bob lived his life to the fullest, searching for his creator and for his creator’s image in himself. He lived life honestly and courageously, and there’s no doubt he knew where he stood with his God at all times. Sometimes that was far away; other times, the Lord was as close as his last breath. He knew, though. And, like one looking back to see where he’s been and where he’s headed next on a long, but uncompleted journey, Bob assuredly said, “I know You are The Way.” Even with all he did, this was Bob’s greatest achievement and the greatest description of God’s love that anyone of us can ever know.

So, in the night-stillness of July 24, 2009, Robert James Dakota Wilson walked into eternity with our Savior Jesus at his side to meet the Father of all, the Lord God Almighty, the Ruler of heaven and earth, the Maker of the universe…and the Artist who created him.