A Life That Pleases God
Brian J. Hunt has gone to be with God. The following was written by one of his sons.
If I could summarize the life of Brian J. Hunt in two words, it would be “modestly prolific.” He wasn’t a big shot, and he never pretended to be. In fact, looking back I am struck by his humility. His stories, as anyone who knows him can attest, are larger than life, and as far as I could ever tell, entirely factual and probably without exaggeration. He unquestionably left his mark in the business world, particularly at Coca-Cola where the fridge pack remains an enduring sign of his marketing insights, but his greatest impact, and what will define his legacy, is what he invested in the lives of those around him.
Early in my traveling days, when I had returned from exploring the country by car and finished telling him about the highlights, I remember him saying, “it’s not the places, it’s the people.” As a young man driven by my senses, the concept felt somewhat novel to me, so I thought about it. Only in recent years have I come to realize how true it is. It seems that a tremendous amount of his life was lived sacrificially in service of others. He wanted, maybe more than anything else, to give people a glimpse of God’s character.
He certainly succeeded on my part, because the unconditional, sacrificial love which he showed me – by far the least deserving of his children – can only be described as Christlike. When I was a strung out atheist in college he would drive me to and from the campus for family dinner and on the way back he would stop and buy me groceries. When I fully deserved to be punched in the face he restrained himself. When I asked for forgiveness he forgave me. He set a powerful example of a man whose heart is God’s.
A significant part of my adolescent years were impacted by his decision to quit a high paying corporate job to become a consultant so that he could work from home and spend more time with his family. If the decision itself wasn’t bold enough, his courage to trust God to provide the work, and his reliance on God for the output, all while feeding a growing family, should be enough to inspire any man. Many of us owe a lot to this single decision, so it is important to remember that he asked God’s will, listened, and obeyed.
Yet to a bigger decision than this every one of us owes everything we know and love about Brian J. Hunt, and that is his decision to give his life to God. When he was in his thirties, living what he would surely describe as a hopeless life of self indulgence, his sweet Catholic mother discovered Jesus. Namely, that Jesus is actually alive, and that He answers prayer. She excitedly told Brian, who promptly shut her down. “Don’t you ever talk to me about Jesus again.” So, following Jesus’ teaching, she didn’t. But she prayed, and God listened, and the secret of Brian J. Hunt is the change that God made in his soul.
It seems fitting that the last words of a man who prized the written language would be written, not spoken, and what great last words they are. Out of thoughtful care for his family, he made meticulous preparations for his departure from this life, contained in the “When I Die” folder, which he reminded us of from time to time, also mentioning that we should save his Bible. In that folder we found what will be remembered as his last words:
Never forget that Jesus is King.
Never forget your home is in another world.
Never forget that I will be waiting to see you again.
I love you.
Out of all the people I know, there is nobody who I expect more to see in that new world than him. I hope that we will all be there together, but unless each of us accepts the invitation of God and repents, that will not be the reality. Jesus said, “If anyone keeps My word he will never see death.” Do we keep His word? Jesus said, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Do we love Him? Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah:
Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Today that door is open, but tomorrow it may close. As we are reminded, this life can be over in an instant. We won’t be able to go back and clear our browser history or throw some things away. We won’t be able to pay someone back what we owe or ask forgiveness from someone we hurt. This world is fleeting, but eternity is forever. The best way to honor the legacy of Brian J. Hunt is to give your heart, soul, strength, and mind to God.
May God bless all of you for your kindness to our family, and may we all soon be there together in paradise, walking with Jesus, the way He intended from the beginning.