Since I'm still home recovering from complications following my gallbladder surgery (I've lost 10 pounds but I'm on the mend), I've had more exposure than I normally would to the media coverage of the horriffic Virginia Tech shooting on Monday. It helps that I live in the Washington, DC area, a prime feeder of students to the Blacksburg, Virginia campus five hours away and, tragically, the home of the shooter. Click here or here if your outside the US and don't know what I'm talking about.
One thing struck me during the moving convocation service Tuesday afternoon that brought me to tears; the time to decide is now! What do I mean? Simply, none of those victims, most of them 22 years old or younger, had no reason to suspect that day would be their final one on earth. What if they had not accepted Christ? What if they weren't right with God? They almost certainly have been exposed to the Gospel and had opportunities to say yes to Jesus. If they didn't, they're out of chances.
The cliche "life isn't fair" is most certainly true, or else this tragedy would not have happened. Think of how many times you have commuted to work and driven by a small wood cross on the side of a road where some youngster(s) had been killed in an auto accident. Had they accepted Christ?
Evangelists like Franklin Graham are seizing the opportunity to mobilize an outreach effort in the Blacksburg area and try to salvage something good out of this horror by saving some souls:
"Every one of us is going to die. Every one of us is going to have to stand before God one day. As the Virginia Tech tragedy reminds everyone of the brevity of life, the question is, are we prepared to stand before God," Graham posed.
Sounds a lot like the old man (his father Billy) there, doesn't he? Good stuff.
I know a lot of people who are still pushing God away because they are working through some serious anger or depression issues dealing with family, relationships, career, or the church itself. I really do have some understanding of that and in no way mean to trivialize the difficulty of walking through that emotional minefield.
The good news is, however, that you don't have to do it yourself. Walking with God makes that trip a lot more manageable. We don't have to be "fixed" before we present ourselves to God. If we think that way, we are probably sentencing ourselves to eternal damnation because we can't "fix" ourselves. Thank God, we don't have to. Jesus' death on the cross resolved that for us. If that doesn't make any sense, e-mail me at straight_notnarrow@yahoo.com or contact a local minister. If you don't know of one, I can probably point you in the right direction.
God gave us free will--we aren't mindless drones of His. The downside of that is people like the Virginia Tech shooter are able to commit atrocities and snuff out innocent human life. The upside is, if we choose Him, it won't matter because we'll have eternal life and fellowship with Him.
What's your choice? If you haven't made it for Jesus, I pray you make it today. This link to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will walk you through the steps.
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This is the second time I've tried to read this blog, on your say-so that it's welcoming to people with progressive views even if they're not religious.
ReplyDeleteFool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
This post is strictly proselytizing, and I'm not comfortable with it, or the blog. Go in peace. You're off my reading list.
Elayne - With respect that is a little harsh.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he means to have to walk with God.
Jim's just saying you don't have to do it alone.
I'm just thankful there's a Christian who doesn't want to burn me because I'm Trans.