Celebrating the life of my brother-in-law, Creig Mills, now residing in heaven!

Creig Mills; March 19, 1956-Sept. 27, 2021- September 27, 2021

Scars are an inevitable part of life. If you live long, they will come. Creig had more than his share of scars, especially the past few years. Once a man who couldn’t seem to be stopped, the last few years, his strength and energy had slowly disappeared. In the end, walking very far without a walker had a tendency to backfire, if you look closely at his forehead, you’ll see evidence. But the visible evidence isn’t on Creig, it is on his earthly home, now, well now it is nothing more than a shell. Creig, the real Creig is in heaven. The place he has longed to be for quite a while now.  

He is now with his dad, with his brother Greg and his brother-in-law Allen, and while we rejoice at the thought of their reunion, knowing Creig, the moment his feet hit the streets of heaven, he set his sights not on Allen, or Greg, or even on his dad, his sights were set on Jesus, the Author and perfecter of His faith. 

It had been a long time since the legs that used to carry him through the 26.2 miles of marathons had run in an all-out sprint, but in my mind’s eye, when he saw Jesus, Creig sprinted. Once there, chances are he fell on his face before his Savior, the One Whom he loved more than all else, and there on his face, he saw scars, scars from the nails that pierced the Feet of Jesus when He hung on the cross, paying the price for the sins of those who placed their faith and trust in Him. 

I would imagine that moments later, Jesus reached down, picked Creig up with His nail scarred Hands and soon Creig was looking at the brow, still showing the marks of the crown of thorns that was forcefully placed upon His Head. And maybe, just maybe, just like He did with Thomas, almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus said “put out your hand and place it in My Side”, giving Creig the opportunity to see and to touch the only scars in all of heaven. 

You know, for us, scars are usually a mark of pain and suffering. We look upon them and our minds are flooded with painful memories. But when we gaze upon the only scars in heaven, scars Creig has now seen with his own eyes, the memories are anything but painful, they are memories of unspeakable joy, and not just for Creig, they are for Jesus as well. Jesus doesn’t look back on His scars with sorrow, but with joy. This is clearly stated in Hebrews 12:2 where we read, “looking to Jesus, the Founder and Perfector of our faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross”. Did you pick that up, while Jesus may have suffered much pain and anguish on the way to the cross, that suffering and pain has now disappeared in the joy that is no longer before Him, but joy He is experiencing every moment of every day, especially as He see’s His children, stepping scar free into his presence. 

That is where Creig is now. So, while we celebrate his life, Creig celebrates His new life, life that began, I believe, with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.