” . . . the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
Now and then something happens to shock us out of our quiet, comfortable routine—providing a visual aid or experience, a graphic illustration of eternal truth. Things we understand become freshly engraved in our hearts, so that we can never be quite the same again.
Recently a woman I know was brutally murdered, shot down by a deranged killer whose demonic anger killed this woman and two others—one of whom was his wife—and injured four other women in the process.
Jesus died and rose to make us more compassionately human, not less. We appropriate His undergirding peace and contentment in the midst of all circumstances; that peace and contentment is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit who indwells us from the moment of salvation.
But along with a spirit, we mortals also have souls. A soul governed by God’s Holy Spirit will experience grief and sorrow over those things that grieve our Lord. We must never become hardened and immune to the evil around us.
Much as I love and trust our Lord, much as I luxuriate in His care, I pray I will always be shocked, horrified, and jarred from my comfort zone when I hear or read about violence. And to know someone who has been the victim of violence—that must always stop me in my tracks!
Shock and horror result in a renewed intense passion for our Lord—and a moment-by-moment realization that our every step, every breath, every heart beat is governed by Him. Only God knows where we will be tomorrow, or tonight, or an hour from now. But wherever we are, we are enveloped in His grace.
The woman whom I knew died while shielding another person. The murdered woman took the bullet which was intended for a young girl—the step-daughter of the killer. This young girl lives today, because her mature friend sacrificed “a life for a life”.
The tragedy has caused me some nights of sleepless wondering—grieving over the loss of someone I knew, anguishing over the sin and evil in the world, yet wondering (being filled with wonder!) for one who gave His life for many lives.
Only the briefest of lines are germane to record a tragedy. There is no room for sentimental jargon or corny verbosity. But a diminutive Haiku has come to mind:
Sunday in Autumn
A moment immortalized
by a sacrifice.
One life for one life
engraved in Eternity . . .
small glimpse of Calvary.
Margaret L. Been, ©2012