VICTOR JOECKS: A tribute to Jerry Lopez, God’s faithful servant

Jerry Lopez was one of the finest men you never had the privilege of meeting.

That name may sound familiar if you follow local news. Jerry was senselessly murdered during an early morning carjacking spree in the southwest valley. He was a beloved father of seven children, six of whom he and his wife, Karen, adopted from foster care.

A Go Fund Me is available for those interested in helping to support his family.

To me, Jerry wasn’t a name in a news story. He was a friend. That’s not an exclusive club. One suspects that most of those who met him, even briefly, would consider him that. In a busy world, he was kind and self-sacrificial. Shortly after moving to Las Vegas 15 years ago, I met Jerry at Hope Church’s young adults group. After we each got married, we attended the same small group.

Life tends to pull people apart. That happened. We would occasionally see each other in passing, sharing the words and common understanding of dads with growing families.

And Jerry’s family grew more than most. The love and commitment he and Karen showered on their kids should be an inspiration to us all.

But Jerry wasn’t just kind. He was a Christian, loving others because God first loved him. Jerry didn’t just dote on his children. He lived out God’s command in James 1: 27 to care for the orphans.

Some might argue that Jerry’s senseless murder proves that God is unloving, weak or a mere fairy tale. How could a good God let this happen to Jerry, his wife and children?

Those are natural questions after tragedy. I struggled with similar thoughts when my dad died. Doubts such as those have driven many people away from God.

But there are real answers. If there is no God, there’s no such thing as evil. The ideas of good and evil presuppose a source of morality outside the physical world. Science can’t tell you that Jerry’s murder was wrong and unjust, but we all know it was.

God gave mankind free will. That means he isn’t morally responsible for evil. A simple analogy. I could take my young son’s plastic sword, but instead I give him the freedom to use it. He is guilty if he smacks his sister with it even though I could have prevented it.

And God could have stopped this. I don’t know why he didn’t, and he doesn’t owe me the answer. Man, that’s a hard one. He is all-knowing. I am not.

The implication is that there are things I won’t understand.

God doesn’t promise his followers a life of bliss on Earth. Jesus, God’s own son, died on a cross. Most of Jesus’ apostles were martyred for their faith. The apostle Peter told Christians not to be surprised when fiery ordeals come.

What God does promise Christians is a right relationship with him that will endure for eternity. A peace that passes understanding here on Earth. That you can trust him, because you don’t have to have all the answers. He does. That “our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us,” as it says in Romans 8.

Jerry was God’s good and faithful servant to the end. May his legacy be inspiring others to do the same.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.