Steve Reid 💗

We lost a dear friend this week. I still can’t quite believe I’m writing this. It was sudden and completely unexpected. He was being treated for cancer for almost two years, but because it was under control, and he was doing so well, we were looking ahead to many years still to come. He had his first knee replacement in August, and was anticipating his second one next week, the last thing we expected was this. Instead, we had been excited for him as he looked forward to a pain free life with two new knees and the possibilities that this would bring him. But this was not to be the case. Sadly, for us as a church we mourn his loss. For his dear wife Anna, I cannot begin to speak of the loss that she now faces. I pray that she truly knows God's strength for the days that lie ahead for her.

Steve was often like an older brother to me. He came into my life when I was 15. At the age of 17, he and a couple of other folk from church, would sit in the car with me as I learned to drive, back and forth from various church services across Ayrshire. The person that was actually qualified to be sitting next to me was quiet and would forget they were actually supposed to advise me on what I should be doing. But not Steve!! From the back seat he was more than happy to tell me my mistakes, and what I needed to work on!! See, if you knew Steve, you would know, he ALWAYS liked to give you his opinion. He could easily ruffle your feathers as he was unafraid to ‘tell you straight’, but he had a heart of gold. He was always willing to help you, and hear you out. I believe you could always turn to Steve, and he would do his best for you. He was a genuine guy.

Steve was a mechanic, and had his own business over in High House Industrial Estate in Auchinleck. I think he was the only mechanic, that you had to brace yourself for, when you took your vehicle to him. Oh, not because of the bill that you would receive at the end, but because of the stick he gave you about your vehicle!! He was ever the optimist!! 😂

A while back, Calum dropped his car off for Steve to replace the brake pads. A wee while later he received this photo from Steve:

What's wrong with this picture? was the caption. Steve knew too well, how bad Calum is at looking after his cars, and made a point of always checking the oil. Alarmingly, this time, there was no oil at all, and what was missing from the picture was an oil mark on the dipstick!! 😬🙈 He didn’t let Calum forget that for a while, and often sent him reminders to check his oil level!

You see, in 1997, Steve came to a point where he realised what was wrong with his life. He came to understand what was missing from the picture of ‘Steve Reid’. When I first met Steve, he was an alcoholic. He was a far cry from the man we knew, and loved now. His life was a mess, his house was the house in the village that kids targeted because he was an easy target. Those in the church honestly believe, if his life hadn’t changed then, he would never have lasted another year. He lived to drink. He said he always had a bottle in his hand and slept with one beside him. His life could not have sunk any lower. Steve started coming along to church services, sitting with his head bent low, unable to look at the preacher. His life gradually spiralled further and further and downwards, eventually resulted in a conviction for drink driving. The judge said she had never come across a blood alcohol level that high in her whole career. Steve was a complete wreck that day and his future looked bleak. We anticipated him drinking himself to death that day. At one point, Steve put into words what happened that day, I’ll quote from him;

“As I got out of the car, expecting me to hit the bottle, he (Ian) said ‘just go easy’. I sat in the house thinking about what had happened and before I started drinking the Lord spoke to my heart and asked, ‘have you had enough?’ Having reached the end of myself, I said ‘yes Lord, forgive me’. Immediately my DT’s were gone, the relentless desire for alcohol was gone, the person looking back from the mirror was different.”

Steve realised what was wrong with his life. He realised what was missing.

I can honestly say, Steve is a true example of what God can do in anyone's life. A true example of a prodigal son, who wasted his life for years in extravagant, wild living where it cost him everything, but then knew the love and embrace of a heavenly Father that welcomed him into his family. I am proud to have been part of Steve's family.

Steve never looked back. He lived out 2 Corinthians 5:15 “Old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.” He was completely transformed. He said he went from homeless to homeowner, unemployed to business owner, alone to loved and married. This was all because he trusted in the one who did for him what he could never do for himself. Steve lived for 23 more years after his encounter with God. 23 full years that he would never have had. 20 years married to his love Anna. In recent times he made it clear how grateful to God he was for those years.

For us it is hard to lose Steve. But for Steve he is now pain free, in Heaven with His saviour who not only transformed his life, but died to save it. I wrote about Steve in a previous blog, about his faith, as he and Anna faced cancer. He said he was humbled to know that their lives spoke to others. When I asked him if it was ok to mention him, he said 'yes, it was all to bring glory to the Lord.' In his death, Steve would want the same, to bring glory to the Lord. He would want nothing more than for people to know of his great Saviour, and that what He could do for Steve, He could do for anyone.

For many 2020 has been a year of loss. For some; loss of time, loss of income, loss of security, loss of health or loss of loved ones. But I wanted to take the time to tell you of someone special, that by the age of 38 had already lost so much, but then, after an encounter with God, gained so much more than they could ever have hoped for. As I come to terms with losing Steve, I will not lose hope. Steve will always be that picture of hope for me. He will always be that representation of the power of God in someone's life! 💗