In Memory of Judson Levasheff (December 24, 2004-November 7, 2007)

By Adam Groza

This past summer I received an email from an old friend asking that I pray for a family in Southern California whose child was terminally ill. Having lost a four-year-old nephew in 2001 to leukemia, I immediately clicked the link and read the story: Judson Levasheff was dying of Krabbe disease. From that point on, my wife and I read each heartbreaking journal entry, watched every video update, and it was our pleasure to pray through tears for a family whose son was slowly slipping away. Earlier this month I received an email informing me that a new journal entry had been posted at Judson’s Caring Bridge site. It read, “Dear friends and family. We ushered Judson into the arms of Jesus around 11:30 am this morning. We do not grieve as those without hope.”

Although most of us have access to solid theological teaching in books and sermons, the life and death of this precious little boy has illustrated for me (and countless others, no doubt) some things worth sharing:

Jesus Christ is everything.
When you watch a child-size casket being lowered into a grave, there is no comfort in riches or status, in degrees or accolades. It doesn’t matter that you have hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances, or that your team won or lost the “big game”. What matters is that there is a God who defeated death, who can empathize with suffering, who welcomes children in heaven as on earth, who recreates, and makes the dead live again. The cross matters. The empty grave matters. Scripture matters. Christianity shines at the graveside and at the bedside of the sick and dying. Resurrection means that life has meaning, death has promise, and union with Christ is everything. Seeing a room full of people praying over a dying child reminds us that we are helpless and depend on Christ for everything. He is everything.

The church is our family.
As many prayed for the Levasheff family and for Judson’s healing, they were not praying for strangers but for family. Jesus tells us that our mothers and siblings are those who love and follow Christ. St. Paul tells us that there is one body and one Lord, one faith and one baptism (Ephesians 4:4-6). This family of strangers and aliens becomes the visible and tangible expression of grace in the trenches of life. Christians throughout the world are members of the same sheepfold and loved by the same Shepherd who knows and cares for His sheep. The reality of the Resurrection and the beauty of saving grace are most gloriously on display when Christians love one-another as family and are spurred on to good works as an expression of their love for God. Christians around the globe (literally) joined prayer vigils on behalf of their little brother in Christ. In the waking hours, many of us found inexpressible joy in committing the Levasheffs (our family) to our Father.

Christ is our home.
The Christian is a sojourner, living on earth with citizenship in heaven. Judson reminds us that the life of a sojourner is temporary and sometimes painfully short. Solomon tells us that life is a collection of seasons whose duration is (at best) a vapor. To watch video of Judson singing praise songs with childlike pronunciation and gestures reminds us that praise and worship are enduring and more valuable than gold. Caring Bridge provides a wonderful service to countless families with critically ill loved ones. The ability to instantly communicate updates with friends and family saves precious time and energy. As I read the Levasheff’s comments following the death of Judson, they made it clear that hope in God didn’t disappoint. Even though God chose not to heal Judson’s body, they weren’t hoping in a cure but in a Savior, who in the words of the old hymn, is our help in ages past and our eternal home.

Children are a blessing.
This, of course, is what God tells us. Children remind us of Eden, of filling the earth with God’s image, of creation and redemption. They expose our selfishness and make us slow down! As they grow, they teach us about joy and pain. We realize in those times we cannot “make it better” but He can, and He will, in His way but sometimes not ours. We ourselves are children whose heavenly Father is not only omnipotent, but also benevolent and in our lack we find comfort. In our weakness we find His strength. Judson reminds us that life is precious; from the first cry to the final breathe. He reminds us to make it count – to redeem the time. Judson reminds us that being pro-life isn’t just about the unborn, but about the staggering numbers of sick children battling for their lives, their exhausted parents, and mounting debt. Judson reminds us that true religion is caring for the sick and the poor, both at home and abroad. Sick children, poked with IVs, nauseous from medications, and bald from treatments are a blessing. They are welcome by God and they are a privilege. Judson reminds us to turn off our televisions and reach out to those suffering, to write checks, to be inconvenienced, and to embrace their suffering for Christ’s sake. The Levasheffs honored the Lord by honoring the life and death of their son, their blessing.

So on November 7th, as most of us were answering emails, changing diapers, making the deal, or finishing the project, Judson Levasheff died, surrounded by his family. My faith has been encouraged to see the Gospel provide real hope in the midst of suffering. I think we honor this boy’s life and redeem his tragic suffering when we think of him and join him in praising the Lord, who gives and takes away.

• Visit Cristina Levasheff’s Myspace page
• Visit Judson Levasheff’s Caring Bridge page
• Read about Krabbe Disease
• Read The Risen Christ and Future Hope by Gary Habermas
• Read Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, edited by Justin Taylor and John Piper
• Read The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis