JANUARY, 2004
Dear
Mt. Olive family and friends,
A highway crash, their son’s
wedding, and a funeral for their three daughters - all within the first week of
the new year.
I can’t even begin to imagine
the intensity of the pain. To say that my
heart goes out to these parents seems so inadequate. As they welcome a new daughter-in-law into their family, they
must deal with the loss of their 12, 17, and 19-year-old daughters.
Yet the more I read about this
family in the newspaper, hear their tragic story on the radio, and see the
pictures on the TV, the more I sense the presence of the life and love of Jesus
in their lives. Here is a family that
has even impressed the media with their faith in the Lord and their certainty
of heaven.
In an interview with the girls’
mom, she related how it was the dream of at least one of her daughters to be
married in her wedding dress. Then she
so marvelously testified to her faith by stating that through the death of her
daughters, the Lord has reminded us that we are HIS bride and that we belong to
HIM.
We’re told that our true
character is exposed in times of adversity.
Pain rolls back the protective layers and reveals the real person
inside. One can clearly detect that Jesus
is the real Person inside this hurting family.
In one of the
newspaper reports, a young man was quoted as saying that he would never forget
the girl he took to the senior prom.
But most importantly, he said, “Krista was the one who led me to
Christ.”
Wow!
I cannot think of any greater evidence
of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of our heavenly Father, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, than in the testimony of this family.
I wonder how many Christians
have seen this story and have said to themselves, “I should be more open about
my faith in Jesus. I could do a whole
lot more than I am doing in living my faith and sharing my faith.”
And only God knows how many
others who do not yet know of His grace and love, and do not yet call Jesus
their Lord and Savior, will, as a result of the testimony and witness of this
family, be led to the waiting arms of Jesus.
A couple weeks ago, I had the
privilege of hearing Jon Engen of KTIS
radio tell of a recent personal experience. He was waiting to board a plane and examining the large crowd of
folks waiting with him. He told of his
commitment to himself of always trying to share his faith with the person
seated next to him on a plane.
As he took his seat on the
plane and waited to see who would be seated next to him, he prayed that one
particular person NOT be the one! He
described him as very muscular with tattoos everywhere. (He was sure there must even be tattoos on
the bottom of his feet!) He was one
big, beefy, burly guy!
Well, of course, that’s the
fellow assigned to the seat next to him!
He prays, “Lord, how am I possibly going to witness to this guy. I’m scared!” Just then, this big hulk of a man says, “Hi! I’m Joe!
Do you know Jesus!” (I’m not
sure if his name was Joe, but you get the point!)
Jon then tells how, after they
are well into their flight and everyone has been served a soft drink, “Joe”
says to the stewardess, “Do you know Jesus?”
She didn’t! Before the plane
landed, “Joe” had shared his faith in Jesus and the stewardess had become a
believer!
I can’t help but think of the
words I wrote in last month’s newsletter about the meaning of the birth of
Jesus: “But not everyone knows. Just because they sing the song, don’t
assume they share your sentiments for the Savior. They must see – in my life and yours – that the Baby in the
manger radically impacts every aspect of our lives. They must see how noticeably different from the unbelieving world
is our every thought, word, and deed.”
When I penned those words, I
had no specific examples in mind. Now I
do! A hurting family full of hope. Their now safe-in-the-arms-of-Jesus daughter
who shared the Savior with her prom date.
A tattooed giant who led a stewardess to faith at 30,000 feet. These are the evidences of lives “radically
impacted” by Jesus.
Within all believers lives that
same Jesus. May you and I be bold – in
His power – to share our faith and live our faith. May all those around us “see how noticeably different from the unbelieving
world is our every thought, word, and deed!”