The Chick-fil-A family is in mourning. Today, September 8th, 2014, our founder,
Truett Cathy, died; he was 93.
Truett was many things: entrepreneur, husband, father,
mentor, writer, etc. But to me, I think
he will primarily be known for being a strong Christian man who stood by his
convictions. After all, his baby, the
Chick-fil-A restaurant that he founded, is closed on Sunday because of his
commitment to obey the Bible’s decree to rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:9-10).
I’ve read several books that Truett Cathy wrote. One of the verses that I know was very
important to him simply because of how often he cited it is Proverbs 22:1. The verse reads, “A good name is to be chosen
rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver or gold.” That verse
captures the life of Truett Cathy.
My mind and heart goes to Truett’s family. He is survived by his wife, Jeanette (they
were married for over sixty years), and his three children, Dan, Bubba, and
Trudy. I know that they grieve the loss
of Truett, but I also know that the Cathy family possesses a confident,
expectant hope. The Apostle Paul relayed
this to the Thessalonians, “Brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant about
those who have fallen asleep [that is, died], or to grieve like the rest of men who
have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Paul says, “By all means grieve; but keep in mind that we
can grieve in a different way than unbelievers; we can grieve with hope. Because we know that one day we will be
reunited with our departed loved ones once again in Heaven.” I think of how one day I will see men that
are currently present with the Lord in Heaven; men like my Grandfather, my pastor Rick Ferguson, and now, Truett Cathy. An old hymn puts it this way: “When we all
see Jesus what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!”
Kevin
