I couldn’t fall asleep so I turned to my phone and checked the time. A new text message flashed on the screen. “Oh Nik,” it read from the sender. I quickly opened my phone and read the entire message only to confirm my suspicion. Beni Johnson, wife of Bill Johnson and Senior Pastor of Bethel Church, had passed away from a nasty battle with cancer.

Bill, ever Heaven bound, wrote a three word caption under the photo of Beni he posted on social media: Healthy and Free. My heart goes out to Bill. He and Beni met as school kids and married as soon as they could. He’s a few years older and I’ve heard him joke about “Praying for his teenager at home,” when he was 21 and Beni was 18. The truth is Bill never spoke of anyone the way he talked about Beni. And, he will have a fresh hole in his life. Part of me hopes he grieves in public. We need an example of how to face death.

After I set my phone down, I apologized to Beni. I was harsh on her messiness, and I judged her words and actions when they conflicted with mine. But, she was never my enemy. She was a sister and a saint. What she gave the world will always outweigh her mistakes. Because, God is good.